The Difference Between Us
by CantHoldOn
Summary: There's a difference between Claire and Alice. Collaborative story by Andrella07 & Cantholdon.
1. One Burns, the Other is Burned

**The Difference Between Us**

**Andrella07 & Cantholdon**

**Summary: There's a difference between Claire and Alice.**

**Rating: M – do you really have to ask why?**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing, but damn do we wish we did.**

**Reviews: Yes, please. Double that.**

**I, Andrella07, must thank Foxfire 141 for use of an awesome concept from which the idea for this story was derived. I also gotta say that Cantholdon is like the best person ever cause she puts up with all my crazy… RE… addictions, and amuses my insanity to no end. This is a collaborative work that will seem a bit like role playing 'cause that's essentially what is going on. I'll be writing Claire, obviously Cantholdon will write Alice. And we're thinking this is going to be a long story. Enjoy readers!**

**And a word from your other sponsor, Cantholdon: This collaboration would have taken place much sooner had we not thought it would trigger the end of the world. We are going to put a ton of Claire/Alice awesomeness in front of you, so be ready. I suggest getting all of your affairs in order, because we gave you plenty of warning about the possible apocalypse – I'm pretty sure its catalyst is what's below. Also, I'd like to thank my ridiculously awesome partner in crime – Andrella07, if you couldn't guess – simply for being so awesome.**

**Now read on and enjoy – and prepare for the impending apocalypse.**

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Chapter 1: One Burns, the Other is Burned

_Love. That stupid word scares the shit out of me. More than when I didn't know the next time I'd find water or food or gas. More than the gruesome creatures that'll eat your heart out if you're too unaware. I don't have a heart to give. To them or her._

_There's a difference between us. I would kill – have killed – to save someone, but her… it's like she'd rather die._

_I wonder if she's dead already._

_It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that I'm terrified to say her name, doesn't matter that my heart races when she's near, doesn't matter that when she finds my eyes on her that I'm forced to look away. Doesn't matter because I'm straight, doesn't matter because I was a leader and I know emotions compromise, doesn't matter because I can't love her._

_I never wondered what I was doing, those endless hours of driving in the hot desert where open windows blew sand into your face, yet the breeze was welcome. Those dangerous raids for supplies that were needed, but not always found. I gave the convoy orders, and routine, so they didn't have to think about all that was lost. I kept them strong by being strong myself. They never got bullshit or leniency from me, and they knew it. Of course, that meant I didn't really deal in hope. I had Carlos for that kind of blind ignorance._

_I shouldn't have been so harsh, but I was never one to lie to make someone feel better. I'm not saying all hope has to be a lie, but why put so much of yourself into something when there's a chance – sometimes a guarantee – that it's all for nothing?_

_I think someone would've said I'm cold, indifferent, aloof. I don't believe in love, and I don't believe in hope. I might… kill for them both, but she would… die._

_I'll kill for you, Alice_

_%_

Claire woke to the sound of K-mart screaming. The eclectic teen was frantic as she jumped back into the Hummer and shut the door.

"Claire!"

The redhead pushed the worn ball cap off her face and moved to the driver's side quickly. "What?"

K-mart joined her in the front as they both looked out of the windshield at the crows massing outside. The nearby vehicles and buildings were covered. Even the old telephone wires were full to the max with the black-feathered creatures. Claire's convoy was surrounded, and that was what the teen had seen.

Claire knew it was paramount to stay on the move. She was always pushing her convoy to keep ahead of the infection, knowing the slow corpses moved towards the living as if they were metal hunting magnets. This time, her group had attracted a threat she hadn't foreseen. They had faced infected creatures before, dogs seemed to do well when reanimated by the T-virus, but she'd never come across such a congregation of undead animal existence.

The redhead grabbed a walkie-talkie from the center console and brought it to her mouth. There would be no fight instigated if she could help it.

Holding the button down, she radioed her second in command. "Carlos."

"_I see them," _he answered back.

The man's voice was settling. Claire kept with the position the convoy had granted her and gave a terse order over the device.

"Everyone just stay in your trucks. Roll up the windows, and_ keep quiet_."

Her mind worked for a solution, but then she was distracted by a bird that flew onto the hood of her SUV. The teen in the seat beside her looked at the bird.

"What's wrong with their eyes?"

Claire's eyebrows furrowed as she saw what the teen was talking about. She answered with disbelief.

"They've been feeding on infected flesh."

It wasn't natural for any creature to feed on other victims of the T-virus, but then again, coming 'back to life' after death wasn't natural either.

Suddenly, the crows were startled into action. A bird near the bus let out a loud caw, and Claire knew her convoy was in serious trouble. The flock went into the air, each perch abandoned as their dark wings blocked out the sun.

The time to stay silent and unmoving was past. Claire radioed again.

"Fire it up! Let's get out of here."

It was time to run. Claire started the Hummer with ease and pulled out of the sandy desert lot outside of the motel to lead her convoy away from the danger. The tanker pulled up behind her, but Claire had yet to see the bus, news van, ambulance, and Army truck join the escape.

She was just about to check her mirror again when K-mart yelled, "Claire!"

The redhead's eyes whipped to her side mirror. In its reflection, she saw that the bus had rammed into a pole and was being hounded by crows. The crashed vehicle held most of the people she was in charge of.

"Damn it!" she cursed and turned the Hummer around. She radioed her subordinates with calm haste.

"Mikey, Carlos. We have to evac the bus."

"_You got it,"_ Carlos answered back.

Both the Army truck and the news van beat her to the bus. Claire watched as Carlos pulled out a long, metal grate to connect the back of the bus to his vehicle. The redhead left her Hummer running as she went to help empty the bus of its passengers. The birds continued to swoop overhead, their cries were deafening, but Claire shouted above them as people filed past her on the makeshift bridge.

"Keep moving!"

Mikey and Carlos provided cover fire, but it wasn't enough to keep every life from being lost. Not by a long shot. People were thrown from the platform and eaten alive when the crows landed on top of them.

The bus was nearly vacant when a man climbed to the top of the Army truck and started the flamethrower kept there. Claire saw, and didn't order him to stop, though she hadn't ordered him to start either. The controlled fire did well against the manic birds. Right until the man was pitched from the vehicle by a torrent of crows.

A girl had fallen from platform to avoid the infected creatures. Claire was about to call out to her to come back when she saw Carlos break to get her. The fire above her head made a wide sweeping arc, and the ex-Umbrella soldier only had enough time to enfold the girl in a tight embrace before the hot flames consumed them both.

Claire gasped in horror as the girls screams mixed into the sound of the flapping wings and cawing beaks. Even Carlos could be heard as he groaned in pain. The only mercy they were granted was that the flames were just as efficient in killing people as they were killing birds.

The redhead's sense of responsibility went into overdrive. She'd mourn the loss later. Right now, people were counting on her. Everyone that was still alive from the bus was in the Army truck, but she had to stop the flamethrower. Claire climbed up the vehicle with no fear that birds around her could tear into her back at any moment.

Mikey took the wheel and began to drive away before Claire made it to the roof. The nozzle of the flamethrower dipped dangerously low when he turned to pull out of the motel lot, catching the canvas-covered side of the truck on fire. Claire was one handhold away from making it to the top when the fire engulfed more than the tarp.

It raced to the gas line of the flamethrower that was also connected to the vehicle's gas tank. In less than a second the truck exploded. The shockwave threw Claire back as metal, plastic, and bodies were blown apart. Her only saving grace was the thick piece of warped metal that blocked her from most of the heat even as it landed on top of her.

The redhead knew she was bleeding, likely burning, and losing consciousness. But she also knew she'd failed those she'd sworn to protect. Claire had expected to hear screams, at least then she'd know someone was still alive. There were very few as the cry of the crows drowned out everything else. The pain, the death, the sense of disappointment… it all flew away as if on the wings of birds.

#

_There are a few small words that made – and still do make – people do stupid things. The most popular of these trivial words are love, trust, and hope. Alone, these words are meaningless, just some letters strung together like everything else. When attached to the emotions that they represent, they are more than just words – they are thoughts and actions, for better or worse._

_While wandering the wasteland on my own, I burned away these words and everything they represented. I simply didn't need them, because I was on my own. There was nothing more and nothing less than myself._

_From those ashes, however, I can feel the embers spark back to life. A phoenix is waiting, threatening to burst forth with more strength than it has ever had. There's fuel being added to the slowly building fire, and I have no control over the source – it's a fiery redheaded woman._

_She's lost so much; I can see it in her eyes. Is something else in there, just waiting to be found? It still seems too early to tell. I won't push. I won't pull. I won't pry. I'll simply be here, and here is where I'll stay no matter what. Patience is a virtue I never knew I was so familiar with._

_Giving into emotions is dangerous in this world – it was even before the T-virus took over. I don't think I have much of a choice in it this time. She blindsided me and I didn't even know I took the hit for a while._

_I have seen the absolute worst that mankind is capable of; the evidence is all around us. Whether it is fortunate or not, I've also seen the good that is built into people. Even in their darkest hour, everyone is capable of greatness._

_Once upon a time, love and hope were things that people died for._

_There's a difference between us. Claire - you might kill for someone, but I would die for you._

#

Alice woke with a start, bolting up into a sitting position with a Nite-Tac pistol in hand. Her assumption was that whatever had woken her was some form of a threat. Instead, she found that she was the threat.

Her motorcycle was suddenly crashing to the ground, breaking apart upon impact. This was hardly the first method of transportation she'd unwittingly murdered. She heaved out a disgruntled sigh and dropped back onto the blanket beneath her.

She didn't stay in the position for long. Dawn was soon approaching and the blonde figured she might as well get an early start since she would now be walking. After a few moments of self-pity, Alice got herself up and gathered up the small amount of supplies she carried with her. The saddlebags were removed from the broken remnants of her bike so she could carry them.

The first rays of dawn peaked over the horizon as she kicked dirt over the fire to put it out. When everything was finally situated in an acceptable manner, she set off on foot with the bags slung over her shoulder. Walking was far from ideal, but she didn't have a choice.

It never took long for the sun to be scorching, but despite the heat layers of clothing were necessary. The virus had proven that it could keep her going in just about every circumstance possible, but she didn't want to rely on it. Her abilities were good in a pinch, but some small part of her still believed she was more than the infection; some part of her still wanted to prove it.

The sand dunes all looked the same, each bleeding into the next as the haze from the sun's heat set the whole landscape before her ablaze. Desert days were a dangerous thing, but they had yet to best her.

Alice listened as the grains of sand shifted beneath her every step, how some of them were propelled forward each time she lifted her foot. It wasn't much for entertainment, but it was something to concentrate on. She didn't know how long she'd been walking when the reverberating echo of an explosion reached her ears, disrupting her concentration on the sand.

Her attention suddenly went to the direction that the sound had come from. Sand dunes affected her view, but she could see a large black mass gathered. She started walking in that direction, steps hastened with a bit of urgency. The sight was a perplexing one until she figured out what the mass was – a flock of crows.

The flock had to be infected; there was no other explanation and that thought spurred her on faster. The black birds were scattering as she approached, getting close enough to see the smoke billowing. Cresting the sandbank, Alice was shocked by the scene of carnage the sprawled out before her.

From what she could gather, a fairly large group of people had stopped at an abandoned motel to stay for the night. Their stay had obviously outlived their welcome. Bloodied, mangled bodies littered the ground, having been picked apart by the infected scavengers. At her vantage, she could see no signs of life.

Against her better judgment, she made her way down the sand dune and into the wreckage. The smell of blood, smoke, and even burned flesh invaded her nostrils in an overwhelming tidal wave. It seemed that everywhere she looked, there was another body. It didn't look like these people had any warning. Considering their attackers, she probably wouldn't have seen it coming.

For the second time that day, a Nite-Tac was in her hand. She knew that if any were able, they would rise because of the infection passed on from the crows – and she was ready to end that unfortunate existence.

Briefly, the thought of how horrible a death like this would be had crossed her mind. To be pecked apart, eaten alive… it was a horrible notion – so it was quickly cast aside.

The blonde wandered through the destruction. It was disheartening, such a large group of people had made it this far, only to face such a gruesome end. There were some corpses still clinging to the weapons they'd died with, others petrified in varying stages of anguish. She came up to a still running, yellow Hummer – its door ajar. It took no time at all to make the decision to shut the vehicle off; if she could save the gas it would provide her a new mode of transportation. Inside, she saw what had once been a young woman, likely a teenager now mangled beyond recognition. There was a colorful, what seemed to be woven wire bracelet still intact around a bloodied wrist.

Alice steeled herself as she shut off the SUV and continued on. Yes, this was a tragedy, but she couldn't let it get to her. People died, it was a fact of life.

She approached the remains of what she assumed had once been a large supply truck or something of the sort. That was the explosion she'd heard. The blaze was still going in it, but she could see there had once been people in there. Perhaps the fire had been a less painful death than one by the crows.

Her steps suddenly halted as she picked up on another sound. The fire was roaring and she could still hear the fading cries from the crows, but there was something else. Picking through all the background noise, she singled out what had caught her attention: a heartbeat.

Someone was still alive.

Alice dropped the saddlebags and moved forward swiftly as she holstered her pistol. The sound of the heartbeat led her to some of the wrecked truck, which she pulled aside effortlessly. The first sight to greet her was red hair, followed by the rest of the woman it belonged to. The woman was unconscious, but that was to be expected.

She pulled the redhead from the wreckage and carried her to a spot that offered some shade from the sun. After carefully laying the woman down, Alice retreated to get her bags, but was quick to return. As she took off her duster and bundled it up as a makeshift pillow, she looked the other woman over for signs of injury. There was a cut on her head and a few burns, but it didn't seem like there was anything major – which was nothing short of miraculous.

Alice carefully slid her bundled coat under the woman's head. She reached over and opened up one of her bags, pulling out a canteen. Without even second guessing herself, she used some of the little water supply she kept on herself to clean up the woman she'd found.

Though she didn't know when the redhead would wake up, Alice wouldn't just leave her like this.


	2. One has Better Timing

**A note from Cantholdon: I must admit, I'm a little disappointed. A handful of reviews for the first chapter? My barely there ego has now faded into nonexistence. So, to remedy the situation... Chapter 3 is being taken hostage. That's right, it's been done before and now I'm doing it again. I think the ransom is a bit obvious, but... pay up with plenty of reviews and I will **_**consider**_** releasing the hostage. For those who are unaware - I stole the Axeman's big ass axe-hammer, fondly named it Judgment, and I have no problems using it (on Chapter 3). So, uh... write a review and save a literary life, yeah?**

**...Uh, guys? It's me (the other one)... and I know she's **_**totally**_** serious. :)**

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Chapter 2: One has Better Timing

The first thing Claire noticed was the sand. She could feel her left hand partially buried in the warm grains. Her fingers twitched, the particles collecting beneath her short fingernails, before she gathered her wits enough to open her eyes. She should've been dead, but the daylight and desert around her told her another story. One where she'd survived the explosion and the birds.

The redhead brought her other hand up to touch the pain in her head. The pads of her fingers found a sore spot where there was split skin, but the damage felt minimal. It was then that panic infiltrated her senses.

Claire jerked upright in the shade to see what had become of her convoy. Everywhere she looked was death and destruction – almost everywhere.

Alice was sitting nearby, leaning against a rusty old gas pump. She'd taken to cleaning her pistols – the desert sand got everywhere and she refused to lose her precious weapons because of it. Busying herself with the guns helped pass the time while she waited for the redheaded woman to wake. A respite from traveling in the oppressive heat was welcome, no matter the circumstance.

She glanced up when the other jerked upright, slowly putting her weapon away. "Take it easy," she advised. The blonde's voice was low, rough from a lack of use – but there was a steady sort of calm to it. Amid the devastation, she was cool and composed.

Claire stared at the stranger. She had to dissect this woman; take apart each piece; find her flaws and strengths to know exactly who she was facing. It was a subconscious practice that took place in a matter of seconds. Such profiling was useful for a leader, and she'd learned to do it long ago.

The stranger was armed to the teeth. Dual pistols strapped to her thighs, and a shotgun resting in a holster on her back where the silver hilts of some kind of knives peaked out below. In any other situation, that would've warranted explanation. No words were necessary for Claire to know that the woman had adapted well to the end of the world.

Her blonde hair was shaggy, but her face was clean of dirt. Her looks could've brought her the world before, but she'd never relied on them.

Claire couldn't see any new vehicles, so the blonde must've come on foot. That alluded to insanity. No one could survive on their own two feet. The woman's cobalt eyes whispered otherwise. She wasn't crazed, absent of human interaction for a while, but not crazy.

The redhead took shallow breaths in through her nose, wiling her nerves to settle in the presence of the stranger.

She honestly didn't care if the blonde was a threat to her or not. Claire had to know if _anyone_ from her group was still alive. She had to know if there was anyone left to lead.

Claire rose unsteadily to her feet, nearly pitching forward at her lack of balance.

Apparently Alice's advice would go completely unheeded. Already, the blonde could see that the other woman was stubborn and willful. Alice knew that she had been sized up in a matter of seconds - but not every book cover gave good indication to what was inside. Many had underestimated her in the past, but the redhead didn't have reason to. Currently, Alice was only there to help.

Why she was there to help, she had no idea. The last few times she'd attempted to help someone, it had ended quite badly. Still, something drove her to at least try and help. If things went bad, she always had the chance to cut her losses and walk away.

As the redhead rose, so did Alice. She anticipated what would result from standing and was proved right when the other woman nearly toppled forward. A firm, stable hand was placed on the other's shoulder to offer an outside source of the balance that seemed to be missing. She doubted the redhead wanted the contact, especially from a stranger, but she wasn't going to let the woman fall - not when she could so easily prevent it.

It wasn't the touch that made Claire shy away, but that she was compulsively forced to discover what had happened in her unconscious state. The redhead backed away from the stranger, her eyes shifting from place to place.

The smoking Army truck caught her sight first. All the people inside… most of them weren't inside anymore. They were scattered in chunks of burnt flesh and gore around the site. Carlos and the girl's torched forms were melted into the sand. Had Claire not known where they had died, she wouldn't have any idea what the blackened mass was.

If she'd gotten to the roof sooner… Her timing was no good.

The only vehicle that wasn't by the bus was the tanker, but every one of them had doors open. They were clearly empty of anyone living. Someone living would've tried to assist or drive away from the infected birds. It seemed that Chase, Betty, L.J. – everyone – had tried to help. Claire couldn't think of how many of her people had died merely because they were looking for survivors… because they were looking for her.

Her eyes settled on the last piece of machinery, the yellow Hummer, '_Brentwood Lady Nails and Pedicure_' detailed in fine cursive on the driver's side door. She'd left K-mart inside the Hummer with the engine running. The Hemi wasn't going now, not as Claire walked to it in haste, knowing she wouldn't like what she found.

The redhead had to look away as she brought the back of her hand to her mouth to suppress a powerful gag. The teen was unidentifiable. The crows had marked her flesh to the point that it looked like someone had taken sharp tweezers to her and pulled bits away in rapid succession. That was – in essence – what happened.

Claire knew every member of her convoy. She could've recited all thirty-eight names and stories with ease if she had any desire to. She could've gone even further back than that still, to the very first soul she couldn't lead away from death, but who had trusted her to do so. It was a gift and a curse, to work so well with others.

K-mart had been found, alone, a few years back in the store of her namesake. The maturing girl had been special to Claire. Though she didn't believe in showing favoritism, the teen always sat next to her in the Hummer.

It was often like Claire was raising her to take her place. Now there was no place to take, and no girl to do it.

She looked back to teen, her gaze unconsciously falling on the colorful bracelet adorning a bloody wrist. The redhead reached out to take it, but there were open burns on her hands. If she touched K-mart now, she'd become one of the infected.

Claire didn't even think to put on the full-protection gloves she knew were resting inside the passenger console in front of K-mart's body. There was too much despair – too much guilt. She didn't deserve to have something to remember her prodigy by, so she turned away. Now, it was just Claire.

Claire and a stranger.

Alice watched as the other woman looked through the wreckage. This place, this bloody open grave site was a great deal to take in. Even as a bystander, someone that had nothing to do with the group before stumbling upon their remains, it wasn't easy to stomach. It was more the idea that so many people had made it this far and died so quickly, than the actual carnage that had a powerful effect.

Too often, she found people that were just beyond the brink of help. If her motorcycle hadn't met an untimely death, she probably would have caught up to the convoy and had time to spare them from the attack. That wasn't a guilt she could let weigh on her though. If these people were meant to die, her presence would have only delayed the inevitable - in the end, that was all she ever did.

Not everyone here had died. There was still one left, by some miracle. It didn't take much to come to the conclusion that the woman she'd found was the person this group had looked to for leadership. Alice could practically see the responsibility starting to weigh on the redhead's shoulders. If the other had truly been the group's leader, then there was reason for such a weight.

What she found most interesting was when the redhead went to the Hummer. Of course that would have been the group's flag vehicle; there was no reason for it not to be. She nearly intervened when she saw the other reach for where the mangled body was, but held off when the redhead turned away. There had been nothing left of the body - nothing but a bracelet. Alice had no doubt that had been the original objective to get, but the woman had changed her mind and that was for the best. It would have been a shame for the one survivor to succumb so easily to the virus, especially when it was so easily avoided.

Even if the redhead couldn't get the bracelet for herself at the moment, that didn't really mean she needed to go without.

Claire knew what should take place now, what would've happened had some manner of her people survived. They would've buried the dead. On her own, the redhead couldn't do it. Simply staying at the motel long enough to complete the graves was suicidal. Not to mention, Claire just wasn't sure she could handle it. Couldn't handle all the blood and the charred remains that would stain her hands red where flakes of the shiny black carbon would collect.

She would break, and breaking wasn't an option.

The redhead turned back around to face the stranger. She could feel the woman's eyes on her before and knew there would have to be some kind of civil interaction between them. But there would be no words for the destruction. Not on her end.

Alice knew all of this had to be hard for the redheaded woman. It would have been on anyone. This was part of the reason she'd isolated herself - she had the capability of being a leader, but didn't want the responsibility. She was too much of a liability herself, so she'd broken away from humanity. Now her only encounters with mankind seemed to be the worst kinds of tragic.

When the redhead faced her again, Alice studied her for the briefest of moments. If she intended to keep this woman alive, they needed to move.

"It's not a good idea to stay here for much longer," she stated the obvious. The people that had died deserved a proper burial, but there was no time for it. With an infected flock of crows in the area, it was too dangerous to stay where they were. They'd spent too much time here already.

Claire should've expected that no introductions would be made, but it still threw her off guard. This stranger was different, and not just from surviving the apocalypse. There was something else, an aspect to her stance that the redhead couldn't place. At first she thought it was arrogance, but that didn't seem to fit.

She nodded at the woman's words, her leader front kicking in. "We can siphon the fuel from the other vehicles and should have plenty for the…" Claire trailed off. She shouldn't be giving this woman orders, but mostly she stopped because she couldn't say the word Hummer.

Alice was all business at the moment. They could save the introductions for later - when they actually had time. Right now, getting on the road was her main priority. It was only so she could keep the other woman alive; she had yet to come across an infected challenge that could best her.

When the woman finally spoke, she could understand why there was no finish to the statement. Obviously there was a great deal of meaning to the vehicle - likely because of the remains that had been located inside. Though patience wasn't something she usually had, it seemed she'd had a secret store of it hidden somewhere, because it surfaced now. Perhaps it was merely the fact that she knew the other woman had been through something traumatic by all standards.

Her gaze ticked to the SUV in question briefly before returning to the redhead. "If you'd rather not take it, I'm sure one of these other vehicles still works." From what she'd seen, the only vehicle that had sustained real damage was the one that had exploded.

"No," Claire responded tersely. This stranger had yet to earn the right to disagree with her, even if she was right about the other vehicles. "That one's best suited for our needs."

Claire looked back to the passenger seat. It would take a little cleaning, but she had practice in that.

It was then that she realized she was trying to take control again. She had assimilated the woman into her plans without knowing it. It was brash and haughty of her to try and lead what appeared to be a new companion. Claire wasn't sure she wanted one, to direct or otherwise.

With a despondent wave of her hand she said, "I don't care what vehicle."

Normally, being told what to do what have grated Alice the wrong way. She only ever took directions from herself. Again, some hidden store of patience was showing itself. She honestly had no idea where it had come from, but it was coming in handy at the moment.

"We'll take it," she said with a nod. "You're hurt - you've got open wounds - I'll take care of the... body." While it was just a body left in the vehicle, she tried to be as gentle about it as she could manage. From what she could gather, the redhead had been close to whoever that had once been. She typically wasn't one for treading lightly, but it was coming with the patience.

Claire looked at her hands at the stranger's words, but she tried to do it discreetly. The burn that ran from the second knuckle on her right ring finger to her wrist was a great hazard. The little nicks and the like, not so much. They'd scab over quickly and heal. She'd have to wrap a few injuries and likely wear her gloves for a few days, just to be on the safe side. The cut on her forehead could be protected well enough with the hat that waited for her in the Hummer.

None of that risk stopped her from wishing she could be the one to… take care of K-mart. But that the stranger seemed to treat Claire's dead with as much respect as she could was a comfort.

"I'll start getting the gas," Claire stated.

Alice was glad that the redhead had agreed to what she'd proposed. She didn't want to risk the woman getting infected because of an open wound. For as tragic as the situation was, it would have been much worse for the last survivor of the group to die as well. She'd come across worse situations - ones where she'd had to make difficult decisions - and she didn't want this to be added to that list.

The blonde moved toward the vehicle after the other said she'd get the gas. It would be easy enough to avoid getting blood on her clothes, but Alice would have to clean her hands afterward. Without pause, she reached in the vehicle and lifted the body out. Honestly, if they'd had the time, she'd indulge at least one proper burial - but staying was too risky.

She carried the body away from the Hummer, hoping that putting it out of sight would also put it a bit out of mind. There was some disappointment as she laid the body in the sand - no one should have ended like this. Briefly, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure the redhead wasn't watching before slipping the bracelet off of the remains and pocketing it – the item would have to be cleaned of blood at some point though. Now wasn't the right time to give the keepsake to the other woman, but the time would come.


	3. One has More Direction

**Sup y'all? Would've released this sooner but life got in the way for both of us at the same time. We do, however, massively appreciate the reviews. And let it be noted that Cantholdon has put down the axe-hammer… don't give her reason to pick it back up, eh?**

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Chapter 3: One has More Direction

Claire went about collecting the fuel quickly – too quickly. The poisonous fumes were starting to get to her head. It was fogged to the point that on her final trip to the Hummer, she had to lean against the SUV and take a moment.

Alice saw the woman's trouble as she headed back toward the vehicle. That wasn't necessarily a good sign - the redhead looked like she was overdoing herself right off the bat. After being blown halfway to hell, that wasn't good for her.

Though it would likely earn some argument, the blonde voiced her concern. "You shouldn't drive - not like this."

Claire immediately righted herself in surprise. The stranger had managed to sneak up on her, and it was unnerving. The redhead's response was almost more like recoil than an actual argument for her health.

"I'm _fine_."

Alice hadn't intentionally startled the redhead. Sometimes she just forgot how quiet she was - no one was usually around to tell her otherwise.

She quirked a brow when the other spoke. "Really?" she questioned. "Just a second ago, that Hummer was holding you up more than you were holding yourself up. You took a hit to the head, too. That and driving aren't a good combination."

Claire's reply was second nature. "I don't know who you think you are, but I didn't ask for your help." Her eyes remained locked on the woman's as her teeth began to clench. "And I certainly don't need it now."

People needed Claire – it was _never _the other way around.

Alice was completely unfazed by the response she earned. After so many run-ins with angry, desperate, hopeless people this was nothing new. Even though she'd done nothing to deserve the backlash she was getting, the blonde took it in stride without faltering.

"No, you didn't ask for my help," she confirmed calmly. "That doesn't change the fact that I'm offering it."

The fire left Claire as her shoulders went slack with the released tension. It seemed she wasn't going to get the fight she wanted. Why she wanted it, she had no idea. She couldn't think straight.

Perhaps the other woman was right. The redhead was dizzier than she should have been. It was as if the sun, hot as it already was on her skin, was trying to penetrate her cool interior. She normally did well in the heat. It was the cold she didn't like. There was something so passive about it.

"I'm… sorry. I'm not used to relying on others," Claire said, and realized that something must really be wrong with her if she was apologizing and then explaining herself. That something made itself it known when the pain in her head coupled with a poor attention to gravity.

She took a step, about to pass the stranger with intent to enter the SUV on the passenger side, when her knees went weak.

Now that she'd seen the redhead's need to use the Hummer for support, Alice was watching her closely. She knew that something was off. The other woman should have heeded her advice to take things easy.

Instinct kicked in when she saw the redhead falter and she caught the other woman before she could get too far. Twice now she'd had to keep the other on her feet. "Let's get you sat down before you fall down," she suggested.

Claire had to bite her cheek to keep the retort that she could do it herself from spilling from her lips. Because it was entirely possible that it wasn't true. Before Betty had joined her convoy, she'd dealt with head wounds. Chase had gotten a concussion after hitting his head; and she knew that rest was the best thing for him, and very likely the best thing for her now.

The redhead let the taller woman take a little more of her weight, actually setting an arm around her shoulders, as the pair walked to other side of the vehicle. It didn't really bother Claire that she didn't even know her name. People were so much more than what they were called. Already this stranger was proving that in tragedy there were still good things to be found.

Alice easily took as much weight as the redhead wanted to put on her.

Once they were on the other side of the vehicle, she opened up the door and helped the other get in. "There we go... Just take it easy," she said.

Claire sat back in the seat with a sigh. The worn leather was wiped clean, but she couldn't help but think that K-mart had taken her last breaths in this exact position. Not only was it disturbing, it was cruel to herself.

As the redhead settled in, Alice shut the door for her. She quickly went and grabbed the saddlebags she'd brought with her, unwilling to part with the few supplies she'd brought. The shotgun had to be removed from its holster on her back, so she put it and her bags in the back before getting into the driver's seat.

There was really no destination in mind, but anywhere was better than here.

Claire wasn't as interested in the direction of travel as she used to be. Before, she'd always known. She had to know in order to keep her people safe. The woman had never seen so much of the country than when she'd journeyed with her convoy, not that it was a country anymore. The drying Rio Grande had kept her out of Mexico, and she'd never been further north than Indiana.

She might not have cared entirely, but she still wanted to know. Before Claire asked that however, she needed to make a new first impression. She was a peacekeeper at heart, even if her spirit tended to get in the way.

The redhead spoke before the woman beside her could start the vehicle. "I'm Claire," with her name, she offered a burned hand. It was a bit of a gruesome sight, a quarter of her skin raw and red, but it was only that way on the outside. Her palm was completely free of injury, and she hoped the stranger would take it… as a kind of reconciliation, and thanks.

The blonde looked over when the other woman gave an introduction. "My name is Alice," she introduced herself. It didn't bother her that the offered hand was injured, she took it nonetheless - with a little more care than she usually would have. She didn't want to hurt her new companion, after all.

"We'll have to get your hand bandaged up when we stop again," she added.

Alice was right. Next time they stopped Claire would properly take care of her injuries, but for now she still wanted to know where they were going.

She waited for the blonde to start the engine and then said, "Where to? I'd like to… go southwest."

"Southwest?" Alice repeated, thinking it over for a moment. She hadn't been heading anywhere in particular - yet, anyway. The direction suited her just fine though. "Yeah, we can head that way."

After speaking, she pulled the Hummer back out onto the road, heading in the direction they'd decided on. Even though the blonde didn't know why they were going southwest, she didn't ask for an explanation.

Claire almost couldn't believe what she had just said. Her head was damaged, there was no way around it. To go southwest would be to go where she'd wanted to since day one of the outbreak. She'd simply never found a chance to go to Los Angeles. Between just trying to survive and then keeping her convoy safe, she'd never been given the opportunity to search for her brother.

Now, five years later, the redhead was certain it was too late. There was no way Chris was still in L.A., but what else did she have to do? What else did she have to lose?

Claire was quiet during the drive. Her head throbbed with every bump in the road, but that she didn't have anyone to worry about anyone anymore… Claire was deeply ashamed that it was such a relief.

Alice only kept them on the road for a couple of hours. They weren't really in that big of a hurry, or she didn't think so. They could afford to stop early and settle in for the impending evening.

Besides, she wanted to make sure Claire's injuries were taken care of as properly as possible. A regular infection could be just as deadly as the T-virus. At least with a regular infection she wouldn't have to worry about the redhead coming back to 'life'.

"We should stop so that we can get you bandaged up," she explained as she slowed the vehicle and pulled off the side of the road - not that it was exactly necessary, but more a force of habit. "And after what you've been through today, you need to get some actual rest."

Claire knew people died all the time, much more so after the outbreak. But that caused life to be even more special. Apparently, this still practical-stranger could see just what her group had meant to her. When you think you're the last people on Earth, bonds tend to form.

Perhaps that wasn't what Alice had meant. Maybe she was talking about the physical aspect of the redhead's injuries. Claire didn't know what she preferred, but she was looking forward to sleep. She needed the oblivion, but was doubtful that she would get it.

Claire provided no dispute to the woman's plan, merely sat forlorn in the leather seat.

Alice had almost expected some form of argument. Instead, she didn't get a response at all and that worried her a bit. She'd do what she could for her newfound companion and hopefully it would help.

Though she really had no need for them herself, she always carried at least a few medical supplies with her on the off chance that she'd find someone in time - someone who hadn't been bitten, merely hurt by some means. That was what she'd found now.

"I'm going to get a little camp set up, then I'll have a look at your hand," she told Claire before getting out of the Hummer. She'd try and get the redhead to sleep in the vehicle and planned for herself to sleep outside - there was more room to move out there if anything tried to creep up during the night and she could hear incoming threats with much more ease.

Before Claire could voice that she could take care of her hand herself, the blonde left. As she sat in the seat after, she realized that wasn't true. She didn't have any medical supplies in the Hummer. Most of it was back in the ambulance; and while little kits could be found in all of her convoy's vehicles, her supplies were low, and she hadn't wanted to take what someone else could've used.

Claire's needs had always come second.

Alice was going to see to it that Claire was taken care of. Her first task was building a campfire, which didn't take her much time at all. She returned to the Hummer briefly to retrieve her bags since there was flint inside and she needed it to start the fire. This was obviously a routine she was used to - there was only one difference to the routine this time, she wasn't by herself.

After she got a fire going, she set a couple cans of food next to the flames to be heated. She didn't know when the last time the redhead ate was, but she knew the other would need it. She'd even eat tonight, hoping that by setting an example Claire wouldn't argue about it.

The redhead motivated herself to exit the vehicle and join Alice on the side of the desert road. She stepped down from her Hummer and at sight of the fire she was instantly reminded of cigarettes – cigarettes and dead bodies. The blonde had found a downed-wooden billboard off the abandoned freeway, and in the arid wasteland, it burned nicely. Fire would really never mean the same thing for Claire again.

She tried not to let her face show it, and instead went to the driver's side of her vehicle in sudden remembrance of her hat. Claire pulled the latch on the door and found the worn cap underneath the seat. After shutting the vehicle's door she smacked the hat lightly on her thigh to knock the dust and dirt from it.

Walking back around to the fire, she took the hat by the brim and set it on her forehead, then pulled down the back strap with her other hand. It was still light out, so Claire thought that a perfectly good excuse to wear the ball cap, even though her real one was because she wanted to hide her eyes.

When Claire emerged from the Hummer, the blonde was crouched down by the fire. Alice didn't question the sudden appearance of the hat. She was just going along with things, trying to make it all go as smooth as possible for the both of them.

She glanced up to the redhead before nodding to the spot beside herself. "Come have a seat," she instructed before turning to dig through one of her bags. She produced a roll of gauze bandage from within. She knew better than to put any kind of ointment on the burn, it would just further the chance of infection.

Claire held her breath as she walked to Alice and sat on her left. Only when she was settled in the sand a few feet away did she resume normal air intake.

It wasn't the blonde that made her nervous, but trusting her that was causing the Claire tension.

Alice fished through her bag for a few moments more and produced a bit of medical tape - it would hopefully be just enough to keep the wrap in place. "Okay, I'm going to need your hand."

Claire gave it without a word, focusing on the faded Las Vegas tourism ad being consumed by the flames before her in silence.

The blonde was glad for the cooperation, however silent it was. She reached over and took the injured hand, first inspecting it for signs of already being infected or blisters. When she was satisfied that a wrap would be sufficient, she carefully went about bandaging the burn. Hands capable of yet unseen violence were incredibly gentle as she tended the other's injury.

Claire realized that it was usual protocol for her to get to know those she traveled with as soon as possible. Now was a good time to learn a little about the blonde. She wasn't going to ask about the past, however. That kind of thing – normalcy that will never be had again – was better left alone.

Instead, Claire went for a question that would bring her practical knowledge about Alice.

"Do you always travel on foot?"

Alice's fingers lightly brushed the inside of her wrist, causing her hand to twitch. She tried to pawn it off as reaction to pain, but there was very little hurt, and the injury was on the outside of her hand anyway.

"Hm? ... Oh, that. No, I don't," Alice answered, not looking up from Claire's hand. "I, uh... wrecked my motorcycle, so I was only on foot this morning."

The redhead's eyebrows furrowed as she kept her gaze exactly where Alice's was. The care being given to her hand was… confusing. The woman had no real reason to be so gentle. They weren't friends or related, just two people in the same Hell.

"Oh," Claire responded, and then left herself to jump to conclusions. Like Alice was suicidal and reckless, but who wasn't that – at least a little bit – at the end of the world?

Still, the care being shown to her burn was perplexing in spite of the fact that they shared a common condition. The touch was making Claire's mouth dry, or maybe that was the heat.

It had been ages since Alice had shown this much care with anything - in fact, if she really thought about it, she couldn't come up with a time when she'd done such. Here she was though, doing everything in her power to be as gentle as possible. Any sign of discomfort and she'd ease up more than she already was.

There was nothing careful or gentle left in the world. Why she was trying so hard was completely beyond her. Instead of dwelling on it, she chalked it up to sympathy for what the redhead had been through.

"There you go," she eventually said as she taped the wrap in place. "That should stay on for a few days, and I wouldn't recommend hitting your hand or anything - this will give it the best chance to heal right."

Claire rotated her wrist, checking that she would still be able maneuver her hand adequately with the dressing on. She found the wrap tight enough to stay on but loose enough that it wasn't constricting. It was nothing short of perfect, and a much better job than she would have been able to do with only one hand.

She looked away from her the color of the plain manila bandage and up at Alice's face, hoping to catch the woman's remarkable cobalt eyes instead as she said, "Thanks."

The corners of Alice's mouth twitched to form the faintest of smiles before she looked down and away from Claire, now busying herself with putting away what little bit was left of the bandage and medical tape. "You're welcome."


	4. One Doesn't Start Fights

Chapter 4: One Doesn't Start Fights

With her injury taken care of, Claire sprawled out in the sand. The majority of her weight was rested back on her hands as she tilted her head up with her eyes closed to let the sun touch her face. She couldn't really be bothered with much. Normally, her life was constant back and forth. It was stress and worry for her people, but that only surfaced during quiet moments that were few and far between.

Now, she wasn't the head of a pyramid. She was just a grain of sand at the foot of a sphinx. The riddle given to her had a name: Alice. Who was she really?

Claire turned her head to glance at the woman beside her.

If Alice knew she was being watched, she didn't let it show. She went on about what she was doing. A pair of spoons was produced from one of the bags before she checked on the cans of food. Food was getting less and less desirable, but heating it up kept it at least halfway edible.

"Looks like one of these is beans, the other is... soup? Yeah, it's soup," she said as she inspected the contents of the aluminum cans. "Do you have a preference?"

Claire scowled at the thought of food, but she was never one to waste anything. Alice had already opened the cans so it was too late to refuse.

"Soup," the redhead answered.

The blonde was less than enthusiastic about the food as well, but she knew they both needed to eat. It was one of those things necessary to survival.

She stuck one of the spoons into the soup and offered it to Claire. "Here, eat up," she said.

"Thanks," Claire responded when she took the can.

The redhead muscled down the food with the same haste she always managed after meals became all about sustenance and nothing about flavor. As she ate, she kept a steady eye on the blonde.

Alice ate with easy disinterest in the food. It had been a long time since she actually noticed what food tasted like. All she cared was that it kept her going - that was its only purpose anymore. She focused on the fire in front of them, though she was fully aware of where the redhead's gaze was.

Claire couldn't help her stare. There was a subtle undercurrent; a magnetism to the blonde, but the vibe was wrong. Had Alice come upon her convoy when they were… still alive… Claire was certain that the stranger would've put her on edge. People hadn't gotten along with the redhead before, but that wasn't the feeling she was getting from the other woman now. Alice didn't start fights, but Claire couldn't see the drive to finish them either.

It was in her posture, the way Alice kept her back rigid and her shoulders lowered, that Claire realized what was making her tense. The blonde was simply too good at being alone, even in the presence of others.

The redhead finished eating and set her empty can in the sand beside her.

"Have you always traveled alone?"

'No' wouldn't have much in the way of connotations, but a confirmation would imply that the isolation was for a reason; a reason more important than the need to be around others, to have human interaction, and to carry on with some sense of normality.

Alice glanced over to consider her redheaded companion as she thought about the question. There had been a time - a very short time - when she hadn't been alone. That seemed like ages - lifetimes - ago now. In fact, it wasn't even worth mentioning. The few people she'd abandoned were likely long gone by that point, so there was no reason to even claim to have traveled with anyone.

"Yeah," she finally answered before looking back to the fire. "I have."

As much as Claire had been expecting that answer it still threw her off. "Hm… I'm not sure I've ever been on my own. Not really." She was uncertain as to why she was telling the blonde about herself, but there was no real reason not to.

The blonde offered her a nod at that. "Sometimes it's easier... better on your own," she said after a few moments of silence.

It wasn't necessarily easy though. Years of nearly constant isolation were wearing on Alice, even though she'd become comfortable with being alone. It was much safer for everyone else if she stayed isolated, because if there was no one around then Umbrella couldn't hurt anyone through her.

Before, Claire wouldn't have agreed with Alice's statement. Now however, she could see that being solitary had its perks. No one could get close to your heart that way; no one could tear it to pieces when they left.

"I'm getting to see that," she responded.

It surprised the redhead just how emotionally invested she was in the convoy – in K-mart, and Mikey, and Carlos...

"Even before the end of the world, it was hard to lose people that you cared about," Alice started speaking again after a moment's hesitation. "Now, when there are so few people still alive, that makes it even harder."

For being a loner, the blonde seemed to know loss quite well.

Claire exhaled sharply through her nose. "I was beginning to think there was no else left." She tucked an annoying lock of hair behind her ear before finishing, "We answered transmission after transmission, but we always got there too late."

Again, Alice felt her gaze being drawn away from the fire and to the other woman. "I'd say you should be glad for that," she told the other honestly. "Most of the people left gave up on hope and gave into desperation and cruelty. Most of the people left... are as ugly as the world we live in now."

The conversation died in silent agreement as the sun died too. It set behind glowing sand dunes, and the pair knew that night and chill would soon be upon them. Claire wondered if the blonde would take K-mart's old spot when it came time to rest.

"I usually sleep up front, but there's plenty of room in the back if you want. It stays pretty warm in there."

Alice shook her head when offered a spot in the Hummer for the night. "The fire will keep me plenty warm," she replied. "You go ahead though, I'll be fine out here."

And if she'd only been traveling on a motorcycle, she was likely very used to sleeping outside.

Claire gave a sigh. She wasn't quite ready to turn in. There was something about sharing the warm fire with Alice that was keeping her in place as the stars began to shine overhead.

Alice fell silent after that, watching the flames in front of them. Though they weren't speaking, the silence wasn't an uncomfortable one. This was just as puzzling as the care she'd shown the other's hand when wrapping up the burn. There was no reason for the ease between the two, yet it was happening of its own accord.

A board shifted in the fire causing sparks to rise into the air and Claire to shake out of her daze. The redhead swallowed nervously. She'd never just let herself go like that, where thoughts of danger were absent. At rediscovering her sense of risk, Claire rose from the sand and stretched out a little before turning to Alice.

"I guess I'm heading in… Goodnight."

Alice glanced up at Claire when the redhead got up and stretched. "Goodnight," she replied with a nod.

The redhead willed her feet to move her towards the Hummer, but they weren't budging yet.

"You sure you want to stay out here?"

Claire waited patiently for Alice's reply, but she came to a realization before the blonde could give it. She didn't want to be alone.

The blonde thought the question over for a moment before offering a response. "I figured I would."

"Alright," Claire said. She wasn't going to push Alice even if she thought it was safer for the blonde to join her in the vehicle. The woman had said she'd been on her own for some time; Claire hoped that meant she could handle herself.

The redhead finally made it to the Hummer and took her usual position, leaning her back against the front passenger door with her hat over her face. She tried to quiet her mind and slow her breathing, but she could tell it wasn't going to go well.

Her chest was too heavy with grief… and loneliness.

Alice silently watched Claire retreat to the SUV. She felt bad for the other woman - from what she could tell it had been a large group that had traveled together and the loss was weighing heavily on the redhead's shoulders. Though loss was commonplace in this world, such a tragedy was just cruel.

She didn't settle for the night right away. Eventually she would need to rest, but there was still plenty of night left.

Claire shifted on the leather seat for the millionth time. She didn't know how many minutes it had been since leaving Alice by the fire but had the feeling that time was trickling into hours.

The blonde was still very much a puzzle to her, but one she wanted to decipher. What else did she have to do? Nothing; there was nothing for her now except survival… and Alice.

Claire's mind began to drift with thoughts of sun-bleached hair and gentle hands until she finally fell asleep.

By the time morning rolled around, Alice was back up and moving. Actually, it was hard to tell if she'd slept overnight, but she didn't look the least bit tired. That would suggest she got some sort of rest.

She kicked dirt over the fire to put it out and gathered up the few supplies that had been set out the evening before. It didn't take long to get everything ready to go again - she seemed to be well acquainted with the knowledge that staying on the move was paramount.

Claire woke with the dawn. She groggily removed the hat from her face before she turned to look in the back seat to see if K-mart was still asleep. The sorrow hit her like a ton of bricks. There was no teen, and for a brief moment Claire was afraid there would be no Alice either.

The redhead composed herself quickly and then exited the vehicle. Her relief was almost tangible at the sight of Alice packing up the camp.

"Morning," she said before the blonde could pick up on her feelings.

She shouldn't want to be around someone so much.

Alice looked over when the redhead greeted her. It was strange having someone around - she'd gone far too long without human interaction. "Good morning," she replied. "I was just getting everything packed up so we could head out again."

Claire moved with steady ease to help Alice put everything away, not that there was much. She was used to this kind of routine – working and moving around others, but she was aware that Alice was not. It was in the way the blonde took more steps to her destination if Claire was in the way. The redhead would've just moved out of her path, but the other woman never gave her the chance.

Breakfast was skipped; most meals were skipped on Claire's end. She'd conditioned herself to one meal a day. When that food was eaten was always in question too. Everyone in the convoy was given priority over her. It was just how she ran things. First up; last down.

Alice didn't seem to care that they skipped breakfast. If she ate, it would be in the evening - and even then, there were days she just skipped it altogether. The virus was efficient at keeping her going with few and far between meals.

Eventually she broke their silence once the supplies were packed up again. "Did you want to drive today?"

The blonde didn't think that Claire driving would be a problem this time around. The other woman had gotten some rest and they'd taken care of her injuries - she should have been good to go.

Claire was used to driving, but whether she wanted to or not was up to debate. She decided that it would be a good distraction so she agreed.

"Sure," she said before making her way to the driver's side.

Riding in the SUV would take time to get used to for Alice. Most of the time she traveled by motorcycle, because it was so open, so easy to handle and she could see all around herself. Still, she headed over and settled into the passenger's seat.

The Hummer started a little slower than usual, but the engine still came to life for Claire. It was ridiculous but the vehicle had a fair amount of sentiment attached to it. When personal possessions were very few, one valued what they had.

The SUV had a personality, and sometimes more attitude than Claire liked, but what else could she expect from a vehicle with '_Lady_' stenciled on the side?

Claire pulled back on the road and continued southwest. It occurred to her that they'd have to make some kind of alteration to their current route.

"I think we should avoid Vegas."

Alice had been planning to spend their drive in silence. Apparently that wasn't going to be the case - at least not right now. She considered the redhead's words before nodding in agreement. "That's probably the best idea. It's most likely crawling with undead."

Claire gave a nod. That had been her reasoning, so instead of keeping on for Sin City she took a less traveled road taking them towards Death Valley.

They were only a couple hours into the drive, but already the temperature was soaring and it was causing the Hummer to act up. To avoid overheating, Claire slowed the vehicle to a stop.

"Engine's getting too hot," she explained and turned the Hummer off.

Yet another reason that Alice had stuck with motorcycles; they were less difficult to maintain and didn't heat up so easily. She merely offered a nod when the redhead explained why they were stopping. Days in the desert were absolutely stifling, so it wasn't all that surprising that the vehicle would be affected as well.

Claire sat for a few minutes, but she was finding she couldn't handle the silence. She tried listening to the sounds of the engine cooling. The pops and hisses of the recuperating machine weren't enough to keep her anxiety away.

She rested her arm on the door next to her and began to tap her fingers compulsively. The fact that Alice was so still beside her was only making it worse.

Alice easily picked up on the redhead's discomfort. Had she not been so out of practice with actual conversation, it probably would have taken much less time for her to speak up. She made an attempt at conversation anyway.

"How many people had you been traveling with?"

While the topic was a little painful, Claire preferred it much more to the quiet. "Last count was thirty-eight." She'd had double that number of people in her care, but there was a steady decline over the months until the swift massacre took the rest.

That was actually a very impressive number. The blonde wouldn't have imagined it was that many. "I can't imagine how hard it must be to have lost that many," she said after a moment.

The once convoy leader wasn't sure how to respond, so she didn't.

Alice waited a beat to see if she would get a response before speaking again. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." Why she was offering sympathy and where it had come from was beyond her, but she had the compulsion to try and ease the redhead's pain.

The other woman turned her head to look at Alice before she said quietly, "Everybody goes through something."

Alice glanced over to the redhead when she actually got a reply this time. "That's true, but it doesn't mean we should have to."

Claire shrugged, not really agreeing or disagreeing. She wasn't ready for the silence to creep back in, but she didn't know what to say.

Mere days ago, K-mart would've been in Alice's seat, chatting her ears off about everything or nothing. Carlos would radio for no reason and she would've berated him for wasting the battery. L.J. would've complained of the lack of smokes when they stopped, reminding Claire of her own failed addiction.

Alice was comfortable with the silence, but it still didn't seem the redhead was ready for it. She could understand the need for a distraction. Being forced to keep the conversation going wasn't really that easy, but she was going with it.

"You know what happened wasn't your fault, right? No one could have stopped it." Technically, if the blonde had gotten there in time she could have done something about it - but that was a story for another day.

Claire had never been one for guilt. To her, it kept a person in the past. There was no moving forward, no real living if the focus was always on blame. No matter her sensible approach to guilt, some part of her knew it was truly setting in. "They trusted me with their lives."

Alice nodded, not in understanding but in sympathy. "No one could have known what would happen. No one could have prevented it. None of them would place the blame on you."

Reaching for the key in the ignition, Claire responded, "Maybe." Her bandaged hand ached against the motion to start the engine, but the vehicle had cooled down enough and it was time to get back on the road.

"It's not a maybe," Alice replied with a shake of her head. "There are things in life you can't predict, can't change... and there's no one to blame for it when it happens."

Claire glanced at the blonde, the familiar fire of the anger she felt when disagreed with rising beneath the surface. She shouldn't be mad at Alice. All the woman ever tried to do since finding her the day before was help.

The redhead turned her eyes back to the sun-baked pavement.

Alice fell into silence after that. She watched the road pass them by as Claire drove. She'd made her attempts at conversation for the other woman's sake, but it could get her only so far.

It was getting close to mid-afternoon when Claire had to stop the vehicle again to avoid overheating. She didn't know if she wanted to talk this time, but she did know that they needed to get some water into them. Dehydration could be just as deadly as contracting the T-virus, and the redhead had always made sure that her convoy knew that.

Claire turned to grab the pack on the seat behind her. She shuffled through the contents for a moment before finding her canteen. The liquid was warm on her tongue, but she'd gotten used to the sick feel of swallowing heated water. After rehydrating she looked to Alice, her green eyes a silent order to mirror her actions with her own canteen or Claire would offer the one in her hand.

Alice glanced over at the redhead, quirking a brow before shaking her head. "Alright, alright, calm down," she said. She turned to grab one of her saddle bags and pulled a canteen from within. While she could have easily gone longer without water, she didn't see the need for it to turn into an argument.

Giving a sly smile, Claire looked to the dust covered dashboard to sidetrack her attention. She was pleased Alice had gotten her message so easily, and even more content that it went uncontested.

It was only when the blonde finished drinking that Claire realized she had an actual smile on her face. She was thankful for Alice's playful reaction.

Alice couldn't contain a faint grin, rather proud of herself for making the redhead smile. Just from what she'd surmised about the other woman, a smile was a rarity - one she honestly hoped to see more often.

* * *

**Look at those two, side stepping around each other just enough to keep all their interactions civil and innocent. Are you all getting anxious for something more? Well… the more reviews we get, the faster we update typically. And the more updates you get, the sooner you might get to see something more…**

**Incentive enough?**


	5. One Can't Take the Cold

Chapter 5: One Can't Take the Cold

The desert sun was crippling through the whole rest of the day, and Claire's '_Lady_' was not happy about it. The temperamental vehicle was only able to cover about half the distance it normally could because of the constant stopping to avoid overheating.

Claire was two seconds away from swearing like a sailor. But that was no way to treat a lady, and Alice might get the notion that she was insane for talking to the Hummer like it could respond. Still, the vehicle was frustrating enough that the redhead pulled over a little earlier than usual so they could camp for the night.

She hoped tomorrow wouldn't be as hot; she really didn't want to spend the hottest part of the day in Death Valley. As it was now, they were a couple hours' drive from the basin.

Alice wasn't all that pleased that they'd covered so little distance that day, but then again, they weren't on a schedule. If their vehicle could only get them so far, then that was that. There was nothing that could be done to fix it.

She was actually glad that they'd stopped a little early that night. There was no sense in trying to push the SUV further when it obviously had absolutely no intentions of doing so willingly. Maybe giving it some time to fully cool back down would offer up a more cooperative attitude the next day.

The redhead cut the engine and exited the vehicle, intent to start setting up camp. She figured Alice would want to sleep outside again and that meant they needed to get a fire going. Claire looked in every direction to find rocks, sand, and more rocks. There was absolutely nothing to burn. No dead trees or plants, not even broken pieces of old telephone poles.

It had been a warm day, but that didn't mean it would be a warm night. The desert was funny that way. Because it was so dry, none of the heat put down by the sun could be kept from radiating back into space.

If she decided to sleep outside, Alice was going to be cold tonight.

It didn't take Alice long to exit the vehicle either. She knew it was unlikely to find anything to start a fire with - she'd gotten lucky with the billboard the night before. Usually she could find enough to start at least a small fire, but it didn't seem like she'd find anything tonight. While a fire wasn't necessary, it was always comforting.

"Looks like a fire's out of the deal tonight," the blonde observed. "You should let me rebandage your hand while we've still got plenty of light."

Claire looked at the hand in question as she swallowed. She'd planned on taking care of it herself, but if Alice was offering…

"Sure," she replied before standing off to the side of the Hummer to let Alice dig through her own bags for the supplies that were needed.

Alice went over to grab one of her bags and rifle through it for the bandage roll and medical tape. "Here we go," she said as she pulled the items out. "There will be enough here so we can get a fresh wrap on your hand tomorrow too."

Leaning against the Hummer, Claire started to unwrap the old bandage. Near the end the material stuck lightly to her injury, but she removed it without the slightest show of hurt. It wasn't that her tolerance for pain was high but that her determination to show strength overrode it in the most arrogant way.

Her burn was still pretty raw, but it looked better. Claire held her hand out for the blonde, training her eyes on the piece of pink and white granite rock next to her boot.

"You should have let me take the bandage off," Alice informed the redhead. "If you hadn't heard... reopening old wounds is as dangerous as getting them in the first place." She wasn't scolding or chastising Claire - if anything, she was leaning toward teasing the other.

She stepped closer and took the offered, injured hand, checking to make sure it was still free from signs of infection. Once satisfied that the injury was healing acceptably, she started rewrapping Claire's hand with the same care shown the first time she wrapped it up.

"You know," Claire chided back with mirth, "for someone who doesn't spend a lot time around people, you seem awfully comfortable around me…"

The redhead's comment seemed to make Alice falter momentarily - but as quickly as the fumbling hesitation started, it was gone again. She merely shrugged it off, putting more focus into wrapping Claire's hand.

Claire was trying hard to hold back her snicker, especially because Alice was trying to blow off how self-conscious she'd become at her words.

The redhead only managed to suppress her reaction enough to show an endearing smile.

Alice briefly glanced up and caught sight of the smile, which brought a grin to her own features. She slowly redirected her attention back to the redhead's hand so she could finish with the bandage.

Once the injury was properly covered again, Alice brought her gaze back up to Claire's - her hands lingering perhaps a moment longer than necessary. "That should hold until tomorrow."

The redhead cleared her throat before she managed to say, "Thanks."

With the returning of her hand, Claire went to the back of the Hummer to get food. Though there was probably a 'what's mine is yours' mentality, she wanted to make sure Alice was aware of it. Grabbing two cans and a pair of spoons, Claire walked back to the blonde.

"You hungry?"

Once Claire pulled away, Alice turned and put the couple of supplies back into her bag. She glanced up when the redhead came back and questioned her. "I honestly don't think you'd take 'no' for an answer," she pointed out.

"Then you would be right," Claire replied, holding the can and spoon out a little closer to Alice.

Alice finished putting her things away before taking the can and spoon from Claire. "Thank you."

Claire smiled lightly in response before she sat against the tire of the Hummer. There was no real other place to sit comfortably on the rocky ground without getting back into the vehicle, but she was tired of being cooped up in there.

Taking out her pocket knife, she pried open the lid not even interested in what was inside. With the first bite, Claire could tell it was some kind of fruit, but the syrup was too thick with sugar to really identify what was in the can.

Alice settled on the ground a few feet from Claire, just as unconcerned about comfort as she was about the contents of the can she'd been given.

After getting the can open, she put mind over matter - not even trying to guess what she was eating. It was a lesson learned long ago that it was better just to take what was available here and now, rather than remember what once was and feel the ache of missing it.

The meal was a silent one, but that was alright with Claire. What wasn't alright was that the sun was setting and soon she'd be confined to Hummer – alone. She was really beginning to see that maybe she needed her convoy as much as they had needed her.

Being alone wasn't easy. It was a wonder that Alice had managed it as long as she had in isolation. Now, just like Claire was trying to adjust to only having one person around, Alice was adjusting to being around another person.

Their food gone, the redhead turned her attention to Alice. "It's going to be cold tonight."

Alice considered the statement for a moment before nodding in agreement. "That it is."

Claire was thankful for the failing light, glad that Alice more than likely couldn't see her scowl. Sure Alice hadn't been around others in a long time, but her hint was more than obvious. Still, if a more direct approach was needed, then she would be happy to oblige.

"I think you should sleep in the Hummer tonight."

It was not the thought of being relatively near Claire while she slept that made the blonde uneasy, it was the fact she'd be in a confined space. It was bad enough riding in the SUV during the day. She was used to nights outside with only the stars as company when she was absent a fire.

"Is this another of those situations where you won't take no for an answer?"

The redhead smirked. "It might be," she joked, but it really wasn't one of those times. If Alice wanted to sleep outside, Claire wasn't going to stop her.

There were a few moments of silence as Alice thought out her options. "I guess it would be warmer in there," she eventually said.

Claire smiled at Alice's words. It was getting dark and already the temperature was dropping, but the redhead wasn't really that tired. Knowing that Alice would be joining her in the vehicle, she couldn't explain the comfort she found in that thought. But it _was_ there.

While Alice wasn't thrilled with the idea of sleeping in the Hummer, she did find some solace in the fact that Claire would be sleeping in there as well. Otherwise, she'd likely sleep outside despite the cold of a desert night.

There wasn't much to do without the light a fire would've provided, and while Claire had a battery powered lantern she didn't really feel like getting it out. So her options were to sit in the quiet or start talking until she finally felt like she could sleep.

She went with the second option, bringing her knees in to rest her head on top of them out of more boredom than anything else. "Those knives you have, I've never seen anything like them."

Alice glanced over to the redhead when she brought up the knives. It hadn't been under the best of circumstances that she'd gotten the weapons, but they were useful - if nothing else, they didn't need to be reloaded and they'd never run out of ammunition.

"Yeah, I came across them while I was traveling," she nodded. It wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. "I figured they would come in handy."

Claire had known how to use a gun before the outbreak, but it wasn't every day she came across someone who had actual skill with a weapon other than a firearm. Then again, she had yet to see Alice fight at all.

The blonde's comments didn't really allude to whether or not she used the knives, but Claire was still curious about her past. Either Alice was bluffing and the knives were just for show, likely more dangerous to the user in the wrong hands, or… Alice knew exactly what she was doing. Perhaps had known what she was doing long before the outbreak. Claire wasn't sure which she preferred.

"You can… use them?"

Alice figured that Claire would be a little surprised if she admitted to actually using the weapons. No one in their right mind would get close enough to the infected to actually use knives.

"Yeah," she answered with a nod. "They never have to be reloaded and I don't have to worry about them jamming." The only maintenance that the weapons needed was to be kept sharp and that was easy enough to do.

"I guess…" Claire muttered. With Alice's revelation came a little more illumination to the blonde next to her. She was really beginning to think Alice was reckless in every sense of the word. First a destroyed bike and now the admittance that she got close enough to the undead for something akin to hand to hand combat.

Claire wondered just what Alice was living for, but that was a question for another day. The redhead was close to shivering now that the temperature was much colder than the desert heat she was used to.

"I'm getting cold, so I'm gonna turn in," Claire said before looking at Alice and noticing that the chill didn't seem to be affecting her one bit.

Alice briefly glanced skyward before nodding. "It is starting to get late," she agreed. She didn't say anything about the cold, but sleep was always a good priority.

Claire picked herself up and got herself ready to settle in for the night. There wasn't much that needed to be done so she was in the vehicle in no time.

Alice got up as well. She still wasn't thrilled about sleeping in a confined space, but she picked up on the fact that the redhead didn't seem to want to be alone. With the way that the desert got so cold at night, she'd likely have to explain herself if she stayed outside without a fire for warmth.

The redhead tried to find a comfortable spot. Even after years of sleeping on hard surfaces it was a challenge.

Alice was having a hard time adjusting to simply being in the SUV to sleep. She wasn't succeeding in the least. She'd never been one for claustrophobia, but being in the confined space was getting to her.

Eventually she spoke up again. "So why are we heading southwest?" she questioned.

Claire shifted a little so she could better speak to Alice in the back. "My brother was in L.A. and I never got a chance to look for him. I…" Claire bit her lip before continuing, "I know there's no chance I'll find him, but… it can't hurt to look."

Alice listened as Claire explained. Though there was really no hope of the redhead finding her brother, she was right when she said it couldn't hurt. "Maybe you'll get lucky," she said after a moment. "Stranger things have happened."

Claire scoffed quickly, "Yeah, like people coming back from the dead. That – I could've done without."

"I think we all could have done without that," Alice agreed.

The redhead grinned at their sarcastic banter. It was just the mood changer she needed before trying to fall asleep. Still there was one more thing she needed to say.

"Alice… thank you for your help." Claire hesitated before finding the confidence to continue. "For finding me and then… staying."

There was a long moment of silence from the back. Alice wasn't good with being thanked - she was lucky to even be able to carry conversations with the redhead.

"You're welcome," she finally offered up.

The softest smile graced Claire's lips. She decided not to make Alice continue speaking and instead went for the end of their second night together.

"Sleep well, Alice."

"You too, Claire," Alice told the redhead. The little bit of conversation had put her more at ease and she wondered if just maybe she might actually be able to sleep now.

With her eyes shut, Claire succumbed to a full night's rest. She honestly hadn't slept so well in a long time.

Morning found them ready for another hot day. Alice had offered to drive so Claire let her, knowing the blonde was probably bored out of her mind just being the passenger. The redhead didn't really want a subordinate. She hoped that her and Alice could be more like partners; relying on each other equally.

Claire's days as a leader were swallowed by sand, just like her dead convoy had been.

Alice preferred to drive - it gave her something to do and focus on. There was really nothing else for her - before finding Claire, she had just been wasting time as she traveled the wasteland that was now the world. At least now she had direction and an objective to move toward.

Their goal was to get in and out of Death Valley in as little time as they could possibly manage. The desert was a hot place to begin with - the Valley was another entity in itself. The last place they wanted to get stuck during the hottest part of the day was within the confines of the Valley.

It was still fairly early in the day - they hadn't even been on the road that long - when Alice got the strangest feeling. It wasn't exactly déjà vu, but it was certainly strange. Flashes of sterile white walls - all too familiar walls - invaded her head. They were promptly followed by blood - so much blood. The images were familiar, they were exactly like what she dreamed about from time to time, and they were the culprit for the latest motorcycle death.

"Something is out here." The announcement was a completely random one, but she was sure something - or someone - was out here in Death Valley. She just needed to find it.

Claire's mind had been far away, but at Alice's proclamation she was stirred back into the present.

"What?" she questioned. Something seemed off with the blonde, Claire didn't know her that well, but she was sure of it.

Alice was silent for a moment, checking the horizon around them for any signs of life. "There is... _something_... out here."

It was like she was back in Raccoon City, about to square off with Nemesis for the first time. She hadn't been able to see him at first, but she knew without a doubt that he was there. This was the same, she didn't know who or what they were near, but it was something and she wanted to know what it was.

Alice's words were puzzling. Claire was starting to wonder if the heat had gotten to the blonde, maybe she was too dehydrated and seeing mirages. The redhead looked out the windshield before her. For a few long seconds there was only desert and more desert surrounded by a dark mountain range, but then… something appeared. Just like Alice had said.

Alice slowed the Hummer a bit when a building popped up over the horizon. Even at a distance, she could make out a few details. "It looks like an old weather station or something," she observed. "And it's surrounded... by infected."

If there were undead trying to get beyond the fence offering the station protection, then there had to be someone alive inside.

Claire's eyes were immediately drawn to the machine within the chain link fence. "There's a helicopter too." She couldn't help her pull to the aircraft. It reminded her of her father.

The undead grabbed her attention next, grabbed it and devoured it. "If _they're_ there, then… there has to be someone inside." With the number of infected corpses staggering to get inside, there was no way the place was empty of the living.

Claire got a rough head count of what they were facing as Alice continued to drive closer. It looked like they would be against almost forty creatures all to varying degrees of decay and desert ware.

The redhead's adrenaline was already beginning to pump. With her convoy, the horde would've been next to nothing. With just two fighters, Claire knew she should fear for her safety, but she wasn't. Alice was so serene next to her. It was like the blonde knew she could handle anything.

Alice was the epitome of calm as they got closer to the weather station. She had her blades and pistols on her person - that was all she would need. She could see how many infected were there around the perimeter - she'd handled more by herself before.

"We can get in," she said confidently with a nod.

Claire took the Glock from the holster on her hip and ritually checked the ammunition. Seeing the full clip, she pushed it back inside listening for the click that told her she was ready to go.

"Let's do it," the redhead responded.

Alice brought the Hummer to a stop far enough back that it would keep Claire safe - she wasn't worried about herself. "Cover me," was all she offered up before she was out of the vehicle.

The pistols weren't her weapons of choice; instead she went straight for the kukri knives, intent to prove her proficiency with the weapons. She gave a short, but powerful whistle, drawing the attention of the undead to herself. Those that still had decent motor functions reached her first, and they were the first to fall. The blades in her hands seemed more like mere extensions of her arms - very sharp extensions at that.

It quickly became apparent that Alice's confidence in her skills was well founded. She effortlessly severed spinal columns, snapped necks, and hit the undead with enough force to do catastrophic damage to them. When it came to killing the infected creatures, she was an expert. Nothing within arm's reach stayed standing for long.

Claire was all for going in guns blazing, but what she saw in front of her was something else entirely. Each swing or stab of a knife put another undead creature into the pile at her feet. The redhead was providing all the cover fire she could, taking down a handful of the infected corpses before they could reach Alice.

She took steady steps forward as the number of threats diminished. Claire still couldn't believe Alice was in the thick of it all, not only killing but avoiding every grab for her flesh the creatures made. Normally getting so close was a death sentence.

Even in the middle of a group of undead, Alice was perfectly calm. Each step, each swing of a blade or her arm was carefully measured, insuring that no amount of energy was wasted. There were people that had become good at killing the infected, but this was something different. People didn't churn out the level of carnage that the blonde was - it just didn't happen.

The number of undead steadily declined until the last one dropped to the ground with the rest. Even in the midst of all the intense physical violence, Alice hadn't even broken a sweat.

Claire lowered her gun as the last creature met its end, but she didn't holster it. She didn't want to admit it, but Alice's actions had severely put her on edge. The blonde was _too good. _

She approached Alice, no hesitation in her step but Glock still ready in her hand.

Alice wiped the blades clean before putting them away. "Told you we'd get in," she said. "Shall we?"

Claire nodded, taking lead to the gate. There was a padlock, but the redhead took care of it swiftly, shooting the metal contraption dead on so that it broke off. From what she'd seen, Alice probably could've just kicked the fence in, but Claire honestly didn't want to find out. She had experienced more than enough of the blonde's skill for one day.

Inside the fence was an old, decrepit building, the helicopter and something off to the side that looked like some kind of water trench or maybe a ditch.

Once inside the fence, Alice's attention was drawn to the ditch. There was something there, something that had to do with the dreams and the strange feeling she'd had earlier. Without offering a word to Claire, she turned and headed over to the ditch.

This was one of the times she was thankful for being so sure on her feet most of the time, because she'd likely have ended up on the ground if she wasn't. Inside the ditch was a sight straight out of a horror movie: herself. There were copies of her - so many she didn't care to count - and they were all dead.

* * *

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	6. One Wanted to End

Chapter 6: One Wanted to End

Claire walked towards the weather station, but Alice wasn't following, she'd sidestepped to the ditch. The redhead approached the woman; the sight that greeted her eyes when she stood next to the blonde was overwhelming in every sense of the word.

Alice after Alice lay in the concrete trench. The red dress on the corpses a few shades lighter than the slick blood they were absolutely covered in. It was sickening, but most of all it was unexplainable.

"Oh my God," Claire exclaimed in utter shock and disbelief.

"This... this isn't God's work," Alice told the other with a shake of her head. "This is a man trying to be God."

It was abundantly clear that this was no ordinary weather station - it wasn't one at all. The shack was a cover - below their feet was probably a massive facility run by Umbrella. It was the only explanation she could come up with.

Claire was at a loss. It was too much. She was only just getting to know Alice but seeing countless dead versions of her was disturbing on another level. Claire needed explanations, and she needed them now.

"What the fuck is this place?" The redhead barely spared a breath before she jumped into her next inquiry. "Who _are_ you?"

"This place is likely a facility run by Umbrella," Alice said. She turned away from the ditch to look at the shack. "And the entrance to it is in there." The blonde didn't even attempt to answer Claire's second question.

"And what?" Claire started sarcastically. "You think we're just going to go find out?" She was not happy about this. Umbrella was the reason for the virus that consumed everything it came into contact with. Actually entering their facility, the corporation still in control of it or not, was insane.

"I don't expect you to go in there," Alice answered with a shake of her head. She'd go in, yes, but she didn't expect Claire to go with her.

The redhead huffed in exasperation before shaking her head. "And I expect you not to be crazy enough to think I'm letting you go in there alone."

"You think you're coming with me?" Alice questioned.

Claire was about to say 'try and stop me', but she realized that Alice probably _could _stop her. "Look," she said softly, "you were willing to help me before, let me return the favor." Claire adjusted her grip on the gun in her hand. "I can watch your back."

Alice thought it over for a moment. She really didn't want the redhead going inside the facility, but they both seemed to have a strong sense of determination. "There's no telling what's inside."

"I can't imagine it gets much worse than what was in that trench," Claire argued.

"Then you have no idea what Umbrella is capable of," Alice replied. She pulled out one of her pistols before marching toward the deteriorating shack. She was absolutely certain there would be an entrance to an underground facility in there and she wanted to see just who was down there.

Claire followed behind Alice, reloading her Glock as she did so. The inside of the shack was covered in dust and sand, but that was a given. What wasn't anticipated was when the table in the center of the room split in half, pulling the floor below along with it.

Alice trained her weapon on the opening that formed, but all they were greeted with was an empty platform elevator. Though she was glad there wasn't a fight waiting, it was a little disconcerting too. Surely Umbrella would know they were there... so where were the armed guards?

"You sure you want to do this?" she questioned the redhead behind her as she stepped toward the elevator.

"Can't say I have much else going on today," Claire quipped before walking on to the platform in front of Alice. She turned to face the blonde still standing in the room. "You coming?"

Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head before joining Claire on the platform. There was a single keypad with controls and she hit the button to take them down. As the platform started down, no lights flickered on, which gave her a little more of an unsettled feeling. There should have been lights, noises... something. Not the eerily silent darkness.

The redhead swallowed as they continued to descend. There was no way to tell how far they were going, but eventually the lift stopped. Claire readjusted her hold on the gun again.

"Stay behind me," Alice told the redhead as she brought her pistol up before the doors opened.

It seemed like they were stuck in some kind of bad dream. The scene that they stepped out of the elevator to was one to match the sight in the trench. Lights flickered on and off - some only hanging from their wires; blood was everywhere - splattered across walls and the floor; and broken equipment was scattered all over the place.

While the undead could make an absolutely bloody mess, that wasn't the entire kind of destruction shown in the halls the pair walked through. It was like something had gone on a rampage, demolishing anything and everything.

Claire kept on Alice's heals, gun at the ready. "What the hell happened here?" she whispered.

"You know as much as I do," the blonde pointed out. Whatever was down here - and still could be down here - was big and destructive. Usually Alice didn't get set on edge, but the oppressive darkness and threat of the unknown was getting to her.

"I doubt that very much," Claire chided back. She didn't like secrets; they bred dishonesty and distrust.

"You want to know what I know?" Alice questioned. "I used to work for Umbrella. I was right there in the heart of the initial outbreak. The scientists got a hold of me, infected me, and tried to use me as a weapon. Obviously I didn't want to take their orders."

Claire was immediately silenced. Now she knew why Alice distanced herself from others, why she was careless, why she was much more than even above average. She was a liability and… unsafe.

'A weapon' had been her exact words.

But even now as Claire caught sight of her bandaged hand illuminated by a flickering light, she knew that wasn't true.

Alice wasn't surprised by the silence. She pressed on through the destroyed lab, senses on high alert. Honestly, she half-expected the redhead to turn around and leave after the explanation that had been given.

Her attention snapped down one of the halls as the sound of an echoing crash reached her ears. Whatever was down here with them was that way. Finding her resolve again, the blonde headed down the hall without hesitation.

Claire followed the blonde though she had a feeling whatever was at the end of the dark hall – she really _didn't _want to see.

The footsteps behind her were a bit distracting for Alice; she was trying to listen for more movement ahead of them. There was another crash before she saw a darker shadow than the rest dart across the hall. She fired off a couple of rounds at it, but it was impossible to tell if she'd made her mark.

She hastened her pursuit, going after the large figure. The end of the hall was pitch black, but there was light in the room where they ended up - it was very familiar to Alice. It actually looked like the main hall in the mansion she and Spence had lived in, guarding the entrance to the Raccoon City Hive.

"What the hell?" she asked no one in particular. It was like stepping back a handful of years - this place was a perfect replica of the mansion.

Claire's eyebrows furrowed at the space they entered. There were perfect wooden floorboards and windows that almost looked like daylight was peeking out from behind white curtains just thick enough that no one would know they were however deep underground.

A plastic curtain atop a statue shifted and caught Claire's eye. She jerked at the motion, pointing her gun at a bronze angel, but there was nothing there.

Alice's attention briefly moved to the statue, but she knew it was there. She also knew there would be a chess table and a picture... A few quick steps had her at the table and she picked up the silver frame. Inside it was a picture of her and Spence. The blonde was so caught up in the strange familiarity that she didn't notice that someone came in behind them.

"Project Alice, you're home." The recognizable British accent was more gravelly than she remembered.

The picture was forgotten in an instant as she whirled to face the doctor - or what used to be a doctor. Alice could see that the monstrosity had once been Dr. Isaacs, but something had happened to him. The virus had mutated him into something she had never seen before.

Claire gasped in horror at the mess of mutated flesh in front of them. She trained her weapon on the creature and fired first with absolutely no intent to ask questions later. The bullets pierced its flesh but the beast didn't even flinch. If anything, it seemed amused.

A toothy grin appeared on what looked like a man's face as his skin healed over a moment later. The redhead's gun dropped, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Alice took the bare minimum time to assess the situation. Obviously Isaacs had become infected somehow, that meant he needed to die - not that he didn't need to die before. The shots that Claire fired seemed to do nothing to the mutated monster, so Alice switched out her pistol for the kukri knives.

She wasn't giving him a chance to speak anymore, instead she moved in swiftly, bringing the blades around to slice into grey flesh. The attacks that he didn't block or avoid still didn't do anything to faze him. It was like he didn't even feel the pain and that was very bad for her and Claire.

Claire continued to unload on the creature but only when Alice was out of the way. It wasn't often, and the bullets weren't making a difference at any rate.

Alice did everything she could to keep Isaacs's attention on her, rather than allowing him time to make any attempts at the redhead. They exchanged blows like titans - honestly, the blonde wondered if she was outmatched. This mutation of the doctor had tentacles and it took every ounce of her agility to avoid them. She sliced at and hacked them off, but they grew back every time.

Finally tiring of going back and forth, Alice unleashed a telekinetic blast that sent Isaacs flying through the far wall. The use of her mental powers debilitated her for a moment, nearly driving her down to her knees. It was enough time for the once doctor to pull himself back through the wall and unleash a similar, but much more powerful attack on the blonde - returning the favor and driving her through a wall as well.

Unfortunately, the room she wound up in was a very bad place to be in.

Claire watched as Alice was thrown backwards. The mutated creature was walking to where Alice landed. The redhead knew she was insane to try and stop the monster, but… Alice was in danger, and that was all that mattered as she stood in front of the infected brute.

She fired, but the creature took the hits, ever approaching, until he was close enough to backhand her to the ground.

The redhead fell hard, the gun knocked from her hand as the enemy continued forward to Alice.

As Isaacs stepped through the wall, Alice dragged herself a few feet away, just to give herself some distance. She was bruised and bloodied, every bit of her body aching after being slammed through the wall. At least she was somewhere that there was a good chance the mutated doctor wouldn't get out of.

"For so long, I thought you were the future," he told her, bringing himself up to his full height. "But I was wrong... I am the future."

She scoffed at his arrogance, which obviously irritated him - keeping him right where he was just that little bit longer. "Future? There is no future for you... We're _both_gonna die down here."

Her attention shifted past him as the lights at the end of the room faded, the laser coming to life. She'd never make it past Isaacs and there was no way out on her end - maybe this was her time to end as well.

Claire began to stand outside of where the real action was taking place. Her head was pounding from the blow, but she rose from her stomach, her weight transferring easily to her hands and knees before she got to her feet.

Isaacs turned around and saw that the laser, which had just started out as a single line, turned into a full grid as it drew toward him. Alice used the quickly fading seconds to push herself back further, buying herself a little more time. She could easily let it end here. The virus healed her every wound - there was no way it could bring her back from the injuring the laser would do. For years she'd merely gone through the motions of the most basic survival. What was she living for, after all?

The redhead approached the entrance the creature had just used, not even bothering with her gun. The speaking she'd heard a moment before was muffled, but she recognized Alice's voice. Claire ran forward, completely fearing the feeling in her gut.

She walked into the light-filled space to see the infected man they'd been fighting cut into symmetrical pieces by a laser. His form fell to pieces at Claire's feet. The bright beams moved towards Alice. The woman was crouched low, cradling her head in her hand.

Claire could only watch as the grid moved to kill the one person she had left. She willed the blonde to look up, to meet her eyes one last time… before absolutely _everything _was taken from her.

Alice told herself she was ready for the end. The laser finished off Isaacs, it was only proper that his creation go down with him. She heard a noise that wasn't the laser and looked up, meeting a pair of green eyes. In that moment where their eyes met, time became infinite - everything around them just stopped.

As time stretched out before her, the blonde realized that - while she may not have had it before - she did have something to fight for now. She had _someone _to fight for. Sacrificing herself here and now meant leaving Claire completely alone. The redhead wasn't ready for that and Alice couldn't do that to her. She simply refused to leave the other woman.

Though it felt like a lifetime, the moment lasted less than half a second. With a sudden burst of willpower, Alice looked to the wall next to her, using a telekinetic blast to tear open another hole in the wall. Rubble was still falling, dust everywhere, as she dragged herself through the opening, only narrowly missing the laser - the rubber heel of her boot was not so lucky, some of it shaved off before she could finish pulling it through.

Once back into the hall, she collapsed on her back, needing a moment to recollect herself.

The redhead was just as quick to exit the bright space, not chancing that the laser might come back for her. Alice was a few yards away, face up and her eyes closed. The blonde was covered in nicks and blood, but she was alive.

Claire rushed to her and hit her knees. "Alice? Alice, are you ok?"

Alice opened her eyes when she heard Claire right beside her. "Honestly? I've been better," she admitted.

The redhead was so relieved to hear Alice speak that she placed her bandaged hand on the woman's cheek and gave her a light smile. Claire had been absolutely certain that the blonde was going to die and leave her all alone. She didn't know where the feeling was coming from, but she had a sudden strong desire to take comfort from Alice in the form of a kiss.

Claire met the woman's cobalt eyes, and all of her anguish seemed to melt away. She slowly dipped her head, capturing Alice's lips for the briefest of moments.

Alice was shocked by the kiss. That was probably the last thing she expected in that moment - but suddenly time was stretching out again as she pressed her lips back to Claire's.

Claire had never felt anything softer than the lips beneath her, but she was abruptly thrown into what she was doing. She was kissing Alice, kissing a woman.

The redhead backed off, hardly able to look at the woman on the floor. Claire stood and offered Alice a hand without a word.

When Claire moved away, Alice picked up on an almost standoffish vibe. That made it intolerably clear that the kiss wasn't intentional, they'd just gotten caught up in the moment. That was it and nothing more.

She didn't take the offered hand; instead she painstakingly pushed herself up from the ground without assistance. Every bit of her body hurt or ached in some way, but the virus would regenerate every break and tear soon enough. For now, she'd welcome the pain as a distraction.

"Let's get out of here."

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**You readers are doing better with your reviews, but… we just gave you a kiss! So come on! Give us our review fix so we can continue to write about kissing… and… other… stuff. ;)**


	7. One Doesn't Heal So Easily

**Read and review like future chapter's lives depend on it…**

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Chapter 7: One Doesn't Heal So Easily

Claire nodded to the woman, not really paying attention to their surroundings. She'd just kissed Alice, and she couldn't get it out of her head. The blonde's lips were tender, and – maybe more importantly – Alice had kissed her back.

She banished the thoughts from her mind; this was no place or time for them. They needed to get out of here and back onto the road to L.A.

Alice led the way back through the facility without a word. She had to make a conscious effort to put one foot in front of the other and it was taking much of her concentration. Still, she was all too aware of the redhead with her - aware of what had happened just moments ago between them. Those thoughts were tossed to the wayside.

There were more important things at hand, after all

The facility had just been one giant distraction from Claire's ultimate goal, to find Chris. But there was one thing absolutely good about it – the helicopter. If the machine still worked and had adequate fuel, they could fly to L.A. in under two hours.

As the pair stepped on to the lift, Claire tried to remember everything her father taught her about flying a helicopter. After leaving the military, he flew a chopper for a news station. Whatever time Claire had spent with him when she younger was spent in the air.

They reached the interior of the weather station, but before Alice could make it out the door, Claire spoke up.

"Alice, I can fly that chopper. It would be a lot easier to fly over the infection than drive through it. Plus it would cut travel time."

Alice glanced over when Claire finally spoke up. "You can fly?" she questioned. People taking to the air these days was a thing unheard of - unless it was Umbrella's doing - so she was clearly surprised by the statement.

"My father taught me," Claire answered before following Alice outside the building.

Upon seeing the desert exterior free of threats, Claire holstered her pistol and walked to the helicopter with intent to see if it was suitable to fly.

The machine had clearly seen a fair amount of use, but the only way to tell if it was in working condition was to start it up. The redhead climbed into the pilot's seat and easily found the consoles she'd need to start the turbine. Flipping the appropriate switches, she gave a quick glance to the fuel gauge telling her they were full up.

Wind started to pick up dramatically around her so she turned the helicopter off. Claire jumped out of the seat to find Alice, a breeze still being created by the slowing propellers.

Alice had made her way over to the Hummer in order to get the supplies they had left. They needed to take whatever they had, in case they couldn't find anything on their way. Her body was protesting every move that she made as she shifted the items around, making it so they had fewer bags - which would ease their transfer.

"We're in luck," Claire stated after walking to the other woman. "We've got fuel, everything."

The blonde nodded before pulling one of the bags out of the vehicle in an attempt to shoulder it, but instead ended up dropping it. Normally she could handle heavy lifting, but a sharp pain in her arm wouldn't allow for it. "Shit," she swore lowly. Apparently she was a little more worse for wear than she let herself believe.

The redhead immediately chastised herself for not paying more attention to the other woman. After that fight, she should've known Alice would be in pain. No one could take a beating like that and walk away without injury.

Claire reached out for the blonde's arm while saying, "Let me see."

Alice quickly shook her head, not exactly thrilled that she'd shown she actually had a weakness - it didn't really matter that she'd just duked it out with a mutated monster and literally got blasted through a wall. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Claire folded her arms over her chest in annoyance. She considered her first line of defense – being flat out stubborn, but that didn't seem like the tactic to get Alice to open up right now.

"You might be fine," Claire dropped her arms and subtly pursed her eyebrows before finishing, "but I'm not." It wasn't a complete lie. The redhead was sore from the blow she'd suffered by the mutation, but it wasn't anything that would require any kind of care. "Would you mind staying here for a while? Just until I'm a little rested up?"

Alice thought it over for several moments. She knew that Claire had taken a hit during the fight underground. Then again, she hadn't really noticed any hindrances to the other woman's mobility.

Maybe the redhead was catching on a little too quickly. Still, there was a chance she was tired and aching.

"Yeah," Alice finally agreed. "We can stay for a while."

Claire looked off to mask her smile. For a loner, the blonde easily put others before herself and Claire had just used that against her.

Her grin contained, the redhead glanced up at the sun. "It's a lot cooler underground. We should probably rest there."

"Good idea," Alice replied with a nod. Staying above ground would likely put them in worse shape considering the soaring temperatures.

Claire walked past Alice to the Hummer. She put together a bag to take with them, making sure to grab the blonde's medical supplies.

"Alright," the redhead said to Alice, informing her that she was set to go back into the facility.

When Claire was ready, Alice moved back to the shack. It didn't take long for the two women to get back underground. Since they would be spending some time down there, the blonde figured she'd take advantage of it and actually rest. She needed to be in better shape in case they ran into anymore problems along the way.

The pair found one of the more untouched lab rooms, its light not flickering off and on like the rest. There were stainless steel tables and counters throughout the room. Broken beakers and vials littered the surfaces, but Claire found some free space and set the pack on top of it.

Now that she had Alice down here, it was time to head back to stubborn.

"Let's take a look at that arm," she said as she crossed over to the blonde, "and no, I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer."

Alice eyed the redhead when the subject of her arm was brought back up. "I already told you, I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about."

Claire scowled. Alice had no reason to lie, but she still wasn't convinced.

"Then show me," the redhead countered.

"Show you?" Alice repeated. "And how do you expect me to show you?"

An image of Alice undressing briefly entered Claire's mind, causing her to swallow before she cleared the thought from her head. All Alice needed to do was take off her duster, that the blonde's shirt had been removed in Claire's mind as well was… distracting.

She was too far off track. Claire went for her more thought out option and smirked as she grabbed Alice by the left elbow.

"_Jesus Christ_." Once more, Alice was swearing. All it had taken was a bit of pressure from Claire's hand to send a jolt of pain through her arm - which she promptly pulled back from the redhead. "Don't do that."

Claire was instantly regretful, she hadn't meant to hurt Alice that much, but she had proved her point.

"I told you so," she said arrogantly, but then her words softened to a light jest. "Maybe next time you won't be so stubborn." The redhead turned around and swept broken glass off the counter behind her. "Take off your coat and have a seat," she instructed.

Alice hesitated a moment before shaking her head and easing out of the duster - incredibly careful with her arm. She set the coat aside and took a seat on the counter.

Claire hissed in a breath of sympathy at the sight of Alice's left arm. It was a mess of bruising and starting to swell around the elbow.

"I'm gonna have to put a splint on that."

"You won't need to," the blonde shook her head. "It'll be fine." She knew that with some rest, the virus would have her arm healed up good as new.

The redhead crossed her arms again, that seemed to be a developing habit where Alice was concerned.

"That's likely a fracture. It'll take _weeks _to heal - _if_ I can even set it properly," Claire argued. She kept forgetting Alice was more than she appeared. Her hesitant nature was just so… human.

Alice shook her head once more. "It will be healed before the end of the day," she informed the other woman. "In fact, it will probably heal up a lot sooner than that."

"Does this…" Claire faltered, trying to tread lightly, "have something to do with what Umbrella did to you?"

"Yeah," Alice answered with a nod. She wasn't going to lie about it, but she wasn't exactly being very forthcoming with any other information.

The redhead's eyebrows furrowed as her eyes traveled the length of Alice's arm again. The purple mark that had been so prominent before was already fading. Claire took a step in to inspect, getting closer to the woman than was actually necessary.

She couldn't fathom what she was seeing, Alice tended to have that affect on her – probably on most. Claire couldn't stop herself from reaching out and lightly brushing her fingers across the skin that had been bruised a moment before.

"Amazing," she whispered.

Alice was used to watching her wounds heal, she barely paid them attention anymore.

She didn't exactly like her personal space being invaded the way it was, but she'd make an exception for the redhead. While Claire was so distracted with looking at her arm, she took the moment to quickly study the other woman's features. If it hurt when her injury was touched this time, she would never know.

With the retreating bruise, Claire let her hand fall and took a step back. The blonde's powers had troubled her before, made her wary, but she was beginning to become more accustomed to them.

When Claire backed off, Alice found her voice again. "You might think it's amazing... but it's not," she said. The infection burdened her like a curse, one that just wouldn't quit.

Amazing or not, Claire's instinct told her that had Alice happened upon her convoy just a little sooner, things would be radically different. Maybe… her people would've survived. The redhead sighed.

It was decided that they would stay underground for a while. They both needed some time to relax and recover from the fight, plus the heat of the day wouldn't be good for them. It was best to wait a little while, until the sun wasn't so high and they'd be in better shape to face a fight if that was what it came to with their next stop.

There was brief consideration to search the facility while they were still underground. Ultimately, Alice decided against it. Everyone was already dead down here, most everything that would have been of halfway decent use destroyed. Honestly, she didn't want to see what else she hadn't been able to stop Umbrella from doing. They were supposed to be resting anyway – if they had to give up some possibly useful supplies, then so be it. They still had everything in the Hummer.

They had avoided Las Vegas, but Los Angeles could be just as bad as far as the infected went - if not worse.

When they neared mid-evening, Alice finally stirred again. "We should get moving. It'll take us a while to get to Los Angeles and we'll still want some daylight when we get there."

Claire was roused from her haze-like state by the blonde. All afternoon her mind had been at work blocking the distraction that was the kiss she'd shared with Alice.

"Sounds good," she said, standing from her spot on the floor against a counter.

In the time that they'd spent below ground, Alice had completely healed over. She had absolutely no problems when she got up and started moving again, picking up the bag that had been brought down with them. "Leaving now, we should have at least enough time to find a decent place to stay - or if there are too many infected, find somewhere outside the city for the night."

Claire nodded and began the journey back to the surface certain that Alice was on her heels.

The surface was still free of undead so the pair made trips to relieve the Hummer of their belongings. On the last run to make sure the vehicle was empty of anything they'd need, Claire lingered.

Somehow her mind hadn't put it together that with the appearance of the helicopter, she'd be leaving behind the one thing that still tied her to her convoy… to K-mart, to Mikey, to Carlos… everyone – all that they had stood and survived for.

It was suddenly just a little too much for her to handle.

Alice looked back and saw that Claire was stalling by the SUV. She slowly approached the other woman, trying to give herself enough time to put something together in her head that would be acceptable to say. Comfort was not her forte, but it seemed necessary for the redhead.

She reached into her pocket and produced the bracelet as she walked to Claire. "Here... you aren't leaving them behind," she said, offering up the bits of wire that had been carefully woven together. "You keep them alive by living yourself."

Her eyes watering the slightest bit, Claire took K-mart's bracelet from Alice. The redhead had yet to have her breakdown; the one she knew would come if she thought too much. She couldn't help it. The memories of her convoy came in waves, until… her sobs came in waves too.

Alice would have been more surprised if Claire didn't show any kind of reaction in receiving the bracelet. When the breakdown started, she carefully reached out for the other woman to offer whatever comfort and support she could give. "Come here," she coaxed the redhead gently.

Claire didn't even hesitate. She was in the blonde's arms as tears streaked down her face. Everyone she cared about was dead, well – not everyone. Alice was here, and Claire knew she cared about her entirely too much.

In Alice's strong embrace, that didn't seem to matter.

The blonde held Claire as long as she needed to. No matter what had happened between them, she wanted the redhead to know that at the moment she was safe and she wasn't alone.

The grip on Alice's duster loosened, the same couldn't be said for the bracelet in Claire's bandaged hand. The redhead struggled to pull herself together. It had been entirely too easy to fall apart in front of Alice; entirely too easy feel at home with her, even if she'd only held onto the woman for a short period of time.

Claire wiped the tears from her eyes as she stepped back. Her gaze dropped to the wire jewelry but she quickly diverted it to the Hummer instead.

There would be no goodbye, no words for all the things she wanted to say because she simply couldn't voice everything the convoy had meant to her, not even in her head. She was giving her _'Lady'_ a last look, but Alice's statement took the place of her absent thoughts.

If she wasn't leaving them behind, then why say goodbye? Claire showed the barest smile as she attached the bracelet to her wrist.

She'd take them with her. It wouldn't be easy, but she'd reveal Carlos's first instinct in any situation – hope. She'd be compassionate like Mikey, humorous like Chase, easy going like L.J., and she'd smile like K-mart, with the simple, sweet grace of a teenager who probably would've been completely smitten with Alice had she known her.

Claire was still smiling, as bittersweet as it was, as she turned away from the Hummer and made her way to the chopper without a word.

It seemed that Alice's decision to offer up the bracelet was a good one. Though she was sure it was a sad parting, at least Claire was taking it a little better. That little bit of jewelry would allow the redhead to keep part of the convoy she lost with her, no matter what they left behind.

A moment after Claire headed for the chopper, the blonde followed her. There was no sense in staying here any longer - they had a lot of ground to cover before nightfall.

The aircraft was just as easy to start as before. Getting into the air was a little trickier but Claire maneuvered the cyclic stick with confidence. Controlling a helicopter was no simple task, one mistake and the engine would stall in a second. Thanks to the hours logged with her father, the redhead knew she could handle it.

They would be in L.A. in a little less than two hours if the wind kept its course.

Alice rode in silence, allowing Claire to concentrate on flying as much as she needed to. Now that they were en route to the city, she couldn't help but feel a bit of apprehension. It wasn't the fact that she didn't think they could handle it - she would have made the stop by herself at some point. They didn't really have as many weapons as she would have liked though, nor did they have a specific place in mind.

That wasn't even mentioning the fact that they had no idea what would be waiting for them when they got to Los Angeles.

There was no more time for second guessing the decision as the city crested the horizon and began to sprawl out before them. Now all they could do was hope they found Claire's brother - and make it back out alive.


	8. One is a Little Overprotective

**Avienda, that's right, this chapter is dedicated to you. You freakin' rock every time you review! Here's to you, friend. **

**Well readers, (it's Andrella07 and) I've got good news and bad news… The good news is Cantholdon (by a slew of nearly unfollowable inside jokes) has been bitten by an infected puppy. How is that good news? Well I guess the good news is that I actually have in my possession a small amount of the anti-virus. The bad news is I was not too pleased with the reviews last chapter. Not. Too. Pleased… So, here's how this is gonna go down. Cantholdon may take chapters hostage, but I'm a **_**tad**_** more dramatic and take WRITER'S LIVES HOSTAGE! You give us what I think are good reviews and I'll give Cantholdon the anti-virus…**

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Chapter 8: One is a Little Overprotective

Los Angeles – second most populated city in the entire United States beaten only by New York. Claire couldn't help but dread the notion that it was still just as populated, that every Hollywood star, filmmaker, and general nobody was now roaming the streets with hunger in their bellies and old flesh in their teeth.

Smoke wafted from countless buildings, the only thing that seemed more numerous than the structures were their endless broken windows. Claire kept them on course to the center of the city, trying to find a place to land. To her immense surprise, the place was deserted of undead. At least that was how it seemed at first.

"City of Angels," the blonde observed dryly. Alice was expecting thousands - probably far more than that - of undead. Los Angeles had been crowded before the outbreak, surely it was just as crowded now. Unfortunately, the crowd wouldn't exactly be living anymore.

She'd been incredibly surprised to see that many of the streets were completely empty. That just didn't make sense. Some of the undead could have burned with the city, but what about the rest? Not all of them would have perished even in a massive outbreak of fires.

As Claire flew them over the seemingly ghost city, something caught Alice's eye. So _that _was where all the undead had gotten off to. "Claire," she said, glancing over to the redhead before motioning toward what looked to have once been a prison. Outside the gates, a mass of infected had swarmed - and from what she could see, there were still stragglers gathering as well.

Claire followed Alice's direction to see where L.A.'s undead population was. "Shit," she cursed in pessimistic surprise. The redhead felt bad for the poor souls on the roof until she realized she could do something about it.

"I'm taking us down," she informed Alice.

Because landing on the roof of a prison surrounded by undead and inhabited by people they didn't know was safe. Especially when they didn't have a ton of firepower. At least Alice could be a weapon herself when she needed to. That was better than nothing.

She didn't offer up any protests as Claire took them down toward the prison. Apparently they were about to make some new friends.

There was plenty of rooftop for the chopper, so Claire set them down with ease. It was good that they'd found a place to land. Once electricity had been lost, the sun was the only source of light and it had already begun its descent.

The survivors covered their faces as the wind from the propellers swept up the smaller pieces of gravel at their feet. Another second and the turbine slowed as she shut the machine down.

The air was tense for Alice and Claire, but the strangers looked elated at the sight of them.

Alice wasn't sure she liked how happy the other survivors seemed to be. Usually that would mean that they wanted something - in this case, probably the helicopter since they were trapped inside the prison. There were a handful of strangers on the roof to greet them - if push came to shove, she could easily deal with them.

A tall, athletic looking black man stepped forward from the rest of the group. "Luther West," he introduced himself, offering his hand.

The blonde took his hand, perhaps with a little more force than would be expected from her loner persona. "Alice," she said, then looked back toward her redheaded companion. "And that's Claire."

The man nodded, letting go of Alice's hand to offer it to Claire. "Luther West."

Claire shook hands with the man, noticing that his eyes flickered to the bandage adorning her skin. When they separated, a cheerful woman with long, dark hair approached the newcomers.

"Hello," she greeted directly to Claire. "I'm Crystal."

The redhead was about to shake her hand, but then a man in a suit interrupted the greetings.

"No, no more introductions," he demanded, instantly grating Claire the wrong way. She had him sized up in a second, one word ringing true: 'asshole'. "You're here to help us right?" the man finished.

The only reason Claire had landed was to help the people here. It was what she did, what she'd done since the beginning. It was what she would do now even if she wanted to put a gag in the disrespectful man's mouth.

Alice was more than happy to let the others talk. She studied the handful of survivors that had been found, deciding that only two of the five were an actual threat. So far, they'd been nothing but civil though - except for the slimeball that demanded to know if she and Claire were there to help.

Another prison-bound survivor stepped forward. "Can you get us out?" the Asian man asked.

The answer was 'yes', but before Claire could give it Crystal spoke up again. "Are you from Arcadia? Yes, they sent you, didn't they?" she pressed for an outright answer.

The blonde slowly shook her head. "No, they didn't send us."

The other woman seemed quite disheartened by that. "So there's to be no rescue?"

Again, Alice shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"You're here for nothing?" the slimeball spoke up again. "But that chopper of yours still flies?"

"Of course," Claire replied. "Where's Arcadia?"

Luther was the one to respond. It was obvious that he led this group and why. He was the most able-bodied, a bit of a brute, but he had a charming smile that could sway a faint heart if his muscles didn't convince someone to back down first. "It's a ship," the man pointed west towards the sun that was just about to dip below the horizon. "We've been receiving their transmissions all week. Food, shelter, safety and security. No infection. We thought they sent you."

The redhead looked at the coast, at the freighter sitting just off shore. A fog seemed to be rolling in and it would soon engulf the vessel. If that was the case, fog plus the coming darkness meant they wouldn't be flying to the ship just yet. It would have to wait.

Alice was actually surprised to see the ship off shore. If that was the _Arcadia_, then the information in the journal was completely wrong. It wouldn't have been so suspicious if the notebook hadn't said the haven was a town up north. Something just didn't seem to fit, but who was to say it wasn't right? Being on a ship was actually a smart idea.

Claire shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. They didn't send us."

Luther mulled over her words, and but the man in the suit was all over them. "But you can get us there, right?"

Again, Claire had to disagree. "Not tonight. It's getting too dark and I'm not flying in fog."

The man immediately grunted his disapproval and turned to walk away without another word. The Asian was quick to follow, but Crystal seemed to lag before she left. By the end, it was only Luther and the man who had yet to do anything that stayed roof-side with Alice and Claire.

The silent man wasn't quiet long. He held his hand out to Claire and offered a sly smile as he said, "Thought you could take them to the Promised Land. Angel Ortiz."

"Claire," she introduced while shaking his hand. The man was clearly once a soldier by his uniform, but if that hadn't been assumed before, it was at his next observation.

"That's a fine helicopter you have. I'm curious…" he deadpanned as his eyebrows furrowed. "Why does it have an Umbrella logo on the side?"

The redhead turned to Alice, unsure of what to say considering the woman's history with the company.

It didn't take Alice long at all to figure out how to answer the question. "We stole it," she told the man humorlessly. It was straight to the point and implied they could take on anything. For being fairly quiet and reserved, she definitely knew how to put people in their places without much effort.

"Stole it?" Luther repeated in disbelief. "You must be crazy."

Claire was quick to come to her companion's defense. "Crazy?" she scoffed. "Says someone trapped inside a prison for who knows how long. Like it or not, _we_ are your only way out of here." Never mind that technically all they needed was Claire and the helicopter, but the redhead's loyalty ran deep, and for Alice – it was much more than that.

Luther chuckled with good-natured amusement. "Well, since it seems we're at your mercy allow me to play host and show you around."

Alice decided she didn't really like Luther. She couldn't decide on a specific reason, but she didn't like the vibe coming from him. She'd let him play alpha dog while he showed her and Claire around the prison.

The set up these people had wasn't a bad one. So long as the undead stayed outside the gates, they were safe inside the building. The blonde couldn't help but think of how easily this place could turn into a tomb, should the infected manage to get inside. The walls were thick, yes, but they could also be a trap. In fact, it was already a trap. If she and Claire hadn't come along, these people would have no way of getting out.

The tour the newcomers was given consisted mainly of exploring the most used living spaces, the cells the survivors inhabited, the shower block which according to Luther – still worked, and then finally the cafeteria where Crystal was serving up dinner.

Luther had directed Alice and Claire to their own cells, correct in assuming that they would want cells next to each other. It was decided that before dinner the pair would collect what they needed from the chopper.

Thankfully, the two were alone when they made their way back to the roof.

Walking to the machine Claire spoke quietly to Alice. "What do you make of that ship?"

Alice thought the question over before answering. "I'm not sure. If they're sending out broadcasts, it might be worth checking out... but if they don't have the means to come and get these people or at least help them..." She trailed off a moment before shaking her head. "I don't know."

The redhead grabbed one of their packs. "It can't be worse than what's going on here," she stated with uncertain optimism.

Alice moved over to take another of the bags they'd brought. "It wouldn't hurt to see if their claims are real," she agreed. "Better to know for certain, rather than to be left wondering."

Claire nodded and moved towards the stairs that would take her inside the prison. There was no point to grabbing all they had, so one trip each would be more than sufficient.

As the two women headed back inside, Luther stopped Alice. "Hey... can I talk to you for a second?"

The blonde glanced over to Claire before offering him a nod and stepped aside with him. "What's up?"

Luther didn't talk until he had Alice what he thought was a safe distance - until he thought they were out of earshot. "Your friend... that bandage on her hand..."

He didn't have to finish his thought for Alice to know where this was going. Injuries generally meant infection nowadays. "No," she said sternly with a shake of her head. "Claire is fine."

"Yeah, we're all fine at one point or another," the man replied. "If she was bitten-"

Luther didn't have a chance to finish what he was saying, Alice cut him off. He may have had a couple of inches on her, but suddenly she seemed a lot bigger than him. "Claire _didn't_ get bitten. She got burned, I bandaged it up," she stated, invading his personal space without hesitation. "And if you've got a problem with that, you can take it up with _me_."

The man quickly held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm just trying to protect what's mine, that's all. We've survived here this long, I don't want that to be for nothing."

"You aren't the only ones that have gone through a lot. Now, I suggest you back off." Only when Luther gave a nod did Alice step back, still unhappy that he had questioned Claire's state, but civil enough to let it go

Claire had been too curious to leave Alice completely alone with Luther, at least she chalked it up to curiosity and not… jealousy. The conversation she heard however, made her smile. Alice had stood up for her and it was quite endearing.

Shaking her head with self-amusement, Claire continued down the torch lit corridors trying to put the appropriate distance between herself and the pair she wasn't supposed to overhear.

Alice left Luther where they'd had their confrontation. On the walk back to the cells she and Claire had been given, she got herself calmed down again. It was understandable that he was trying to protect himself and the others in the prison, she just didn't like him questioning the redhead.

After they got their supplies put away for the time being, it was time to head down for what these people considered dinner. Alice and Claire finished getting proper introductions while they settled down and ate. The meal was less than desirable - powdered eggs wasn't even a great meal before the end of the world - but it was a hot meal and halfway edible.

There was some light conversation during the meal, which was nice for a change. The only ones not participating in the conversation were Bennett and Kim Yong, off at a table by themselves. Alice hadn't really been paying them much attention, but she did notice that Bennett finished his food rather quickly and made a hasty exit. She chalked it up to his disgruntlement that she and Claire weren't sent to rescue them.

It was strange for Claire to be around more people than just Alice. She hadn't thought it would affect her so much, but the truth was she missed her convoy.

The redhead hardly touched her food, but if anyone noticed – if Alice noticed – it wasn't brought up. Claire glanced to the blonde's tray, it was nearly empty. Alice's previous protective display came to the forefront of her mind. Alice would want her to eat, probably force her to eventually.

She was about to take her fourth bite throughout the entire meal when she heard an unmistakable sound. The helicopter – _her _helicopter – was starting up and she had absolutely nothing to do with it. The rise to her feet was immediate as was the disbelief that someone would have enough gall or flat out stupidity to take from her.

Alice heard the sound as well. That was definitely the chopper that she and Claire had flown here in. Everyone was still in the mess hall though - except Bennett. He'd run off just minutes ago.

She got up and was right behind Claire, wanting to give the redhead some backup if they made it to the roof in time.

Claire's cursing was instant when they got to the roof. "Son of a BITCH!" Bennett, idiot and unbelievable, was in the cockpit of the chopper. The aircraft was hovering dangerously close to the edge of the prison. "Bennett! Stop!" the redhead hollered, but it was no good. The man left the safety of hovering above the roof and went for open air. It would certainly have disastrous results.

A sudden strong gust of wind buffeted the aircraft. It was too dark to see how Bennett was handling the unintended movement. Controlling a helicopter had a thin line and the man had just crossed it.

Alice knew the situation would end badly, especially when it became apparent that Bennett had lost control of the craft. Before she could even decide whether or not to try and help him, the chopper was going down. There was nothing that could be done as the helicopter swung around and then plummeted to the ground below.

At least he'd gotten far enough out to not damage the building or wall around it.

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**Hopefully this doesn't turn out to be one of those cases where Cantholdon gets the anti-virus too late (assuming you WANT to save her life…). Rain, anyone?**


	9. One has Family Ties

**Cantholdon is ALIVE! And all thanks to the plentiful reviews. ;) Keep 'em coming because we have absolutely**_** no**_** idea how to top taking a writer hostage… ;)**

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Chapter 9: One Has Family Ties

Smoke barely had time to waft above them before Luther and the rest of his group surrounded Claire and Alice on the roof.

The athletic man was quickly in arms. "Jesus, Bennett!" he said in unrestrained shock.

Claire was still furious. That bastard's stunt had not only gotten himself killed but it had cost them their way out of the prison. She'd come to find her brother, but that was never going to happen if they were barricaded inside concrete walls for fear of the undead outside them.

The blast below had taken out a fair number of the walking dead, but it was still not a dent that would make a difference.

Alice glanced over toward Luther after a moment. "Got another way out of here?" she questioned.

The man gave her an incredulous look. "You think we'd still be here if we did?"

It was clearly a rhetorical question but Claire almost couldn't hold back her terse reply. She ran a hand through her hair to release some of her frustration. There wasn't much they could do now, especially in the dark.

"May as well head in," she said, the comment nearing the ordering tone she thought she'd left behind.

There was no telling how Luther reacted because a second later he was gone.

Alice knew that Claire was right. There was nothing they could do while it was so dark out. If they slept on it, maybe they could figure out something come morning.

The rest filed back inside after Luther. It was disheartening, their only means of escape going up in flames because of one man's desperation to get out. Everyone was fairly quiet as they headed to turn in for the night - the survivors that had already been here coming to terms with the fact that they were now stuck again.

The two women were coming upon their cells, Claire's was the first on the right and she slowed as she neared it. Alice had been silent the entire walk, as had Claire, but now one of them needed to say something.

It had been a long day for the redhead, the longest since losing her convoy. Still, the one event replaying in her mind was the kiss. The light from the torches flickered continuously, throwing the concrete hall into wavering parts of light and darkness as she paused outside her cell entrance.

Alice slowed a bit as they came upon their cells. She figured they would both be tired, it had been a drawn out day. "Well... have good night," she told Claire.

"Night," the redhead said, distracted. Her fingers fiddled with the bandage on her other hand until her sight was drawn to it.

"Actually..." Alice trailed off a moment, glancing down at Claire's bandaged hand. "I should probably get a new wrap on that." Any excuse to get close to the redhead was a good one in her book. "I still have some bandage left over so that I can."

Claire smiled lightly at the concern, and then realized that the bag with Alice's medical supplies was actually in her cell. "I think the stuff you need is in here," she said before turning to enter the room.

The pack was on her cot so Claire sat next to it and silently waited for the blonde to join her.

Alice followed Claire into the cell, then sat down and rifled through the pack. From it she produced what was left of the roll of bandage. "Let me take off what's already on there this time," she told the redhead. Last time the other woman had taken it off herself and Alice didn't want to chance re-opening anything.

Claire surrendered her hand to the blonde's gentle touch. They hadn't really been alone since landing, but she had already been missing it. Here, with fire for light, it was almost as if they were back in the desert. Claire wondered what their life would've been like had it remained the two them trying to survive.

When the injured hand was offered up, Alice took it carefully. She used just as much care as the previous times of tending Claire's wound while she took off the bandage that was already there. Once the wrap was off, she looked over the burn. "It's looking a lot better," she commented with an approving nod before unrolling what was left of the bandage to wrap the redhead's hand again. "In fact, you can probably take this off for good tomorrow."

Alice was right, her wounds were healing well. Yet… when Alice took Claire's hand to re-wrap it another kind of fire torched the redhead. Everywhere their skin touched, Claire felt a warmth she couldn't describe, but it was arousing.

Alice was doing her best to just focus on wrapping up Claire's hand again. It wasn't the easiest task in the world, considering their close proximity gave way to memories of their kiss. Then again, the redhead hadn't reacted to it all that well, so she was certain it wouldn't be happening again.

Claire bit her lip lightly. She knew she was planning on doing something stupid, but the anticipation was making all the worry disappear. So what if Alice was a woman? The blonde cared about her – that much was clear. If the redhead could admit it… she cared just as much.

This time, Alice didn't take as long with wrapping up Claire's hand. It wasn't for want of getting away from the redhead - well, not in a bad way, at least. After the kiss they had shared, it was hard to be so close to the other woman - touching her, even - and keep things simple between them.

The blonde looked as if she was about to pull her hands away from Claire's nearly finished bandage, so with brazen haste Claire turned her hand over and took Alice's in her own. She looked up at the woman, her heart jumping into her throat.

Alice's movements stilled when Claire took her hand. She glanced up to the other woman, studying Claire for a moment as she wondered whether her earlier certainty had actually been wrong. Acting upon impulse, rather than thought, she leaned in to lay claim to the redhead's lips.

The kiss was even better than the first. Claire didn't hold back and instead turned herself over to the heated moment of reaction. Suddenly, the troubles that weighed her down got lighter as if they'd never been there at all.

The blonde was pleasantly surprised when Claire didn't retreat this time. She had hoped her second assumption was right, and it was. Their first kiss had been all too brief, a mere taste - but it had been more than plenty to make Alice want more. Obviously she wasn't the only one that had wanted more.

Though she really didn't want to, she broke away from their kiss after a few moments. She may have gotten away with the kiss this time, but she didn't want to push her luck.

With the separation, Claire slowly released Alice's hand and gave her a charming smile. She wasn't sure what to do, but never one to let someone who deserved it feel underappreciated, she looked down at her bandaged hand as she rotated it and said, "Thanks."

Alice offered the redhead a nod. "You're welcome," she replied. "You should try and get some rest... it's been a long day."

"I will," Claire said before bidding Alice farewell. She didn't exactly _want _the blonde to go, but she knew she wasn't ready for her to stay. "Night, Alice."

After a moment, Alice got up from the cot. "Good night, Claire," she replied before turning to head back to her own cell.

Once everyone settled in for the night, it passed by in silence. For the first time, they didn't have to worry about being attacked in the middle of the night. It was still a possibility, but the walls of the fortress-like prison were a comfort enough to offer up at least a little bit of peace of mind.

Claire expected to sleep easy that night, but the reality of it was that she couldn't get comfortable. The prison mattress was the softest thing she'd laid on for years, but still she was restless.

Morning found her anxious to be near Alice, but first she wanted what Luther had shown them the day before – a shower. There was no hot water anymore but the mere promise of water enough to wash the desert sand from her hair was too good to pass up any longer. Thanks to Luther's tour, she was at the shower block in no time and about to round a corner when a figure walked out in front of her.

Alice had gotten up early and took advantage of the still working showers that the prison housed. The water had been frigid, but a real shower was a welcome change. She was actually surprised when Claire came in just as she was heading out. If only their timing had been a little better...

"Morning," she greeted the redhead with a faint smile.

"Good morning," Claire responded. On a mischievous whim she raised an eyebrow as she said, "Did you save me any hot water?"

"I'm afraid not... but if you need me to warm you up - just ask," Alice answered with a wink before heading out of the shower block.

The redhead's mouth went dry as she stood there in shock. Had she not heard Alice with her own two ears she would have been certain she'd just made the entire interaction up. It was a good thing Alice had left because her 'joke' was causing Claire's cheeks to flush.

A cold shower was _exactly _what she needed.

The water was ice on her skin, chilling her core in seconds. There had been many, many days in the hot sun where this kind of attention to her skin would've been welcome. Now she craved heat and all because of the way Alice's innuendo made her wonder as she smeared the water into her skin, willing the years of dirt and hardship away.

She wondered if Alice would touch her the way she was touching herself now. If Alice's gentle hands would run up and down her skin, skin that could be warm with sweat as her body trembled from the blonde's deep affection. Swallowing nervously, Claire shut off the water and dressed in the spare set of clothes she'd brought with her. Her red vest hadn't been practical in the desert, but it was perfect now.

By late morning everyone else was up and moving. Unlike Claire and Alice, the survivors inside the prison stuck to the three meals a day routine, so breakfast was being prepared. Though the blonde had absolutely no intentions of eating, she joined the others anyway. Her target was Luther, hoping he had a little bit of brains to go with all that brawn. "You really don't know any other way out of here?"

"No, we got nothing. This place is sealed up tight, that's why we were waiting for rescue," he answered.

Crystal, who was within earshot, spoke up, "Well, there's always..." the woman trailed off when Luther shot her an unhappy look.

Newly showered and clean, Claire walked in on the survivors. "There's always what?" she asked Crystal.

"You could at least tell them," Crystal told the man in a quick bout of defiance. "It's worth a shot. He's even more outnumbered now."

The glare that Luther was giving Crystal probably would have put her six feet under if looks could kill. He wasn't exactly willing to give up the information, but it would seem even more suspicious now not to. "We aren't the only ones in here... you two wanna take a walk?"

The redhead looked at Alice with a curious expression before falling in step behind Luther.

Alice walked after the man as he led them down a large flight of stairs to one of the lower levels. It wasn't as well lit down here - the torch in his hand and a dozen others sparingly placed in the open area were the only sources of light. The only thing that stood out was an isolation chamber.

That was their current destination as Luther spoke again. "We thought this place was abandoned. After all, why keep anyone locked up when everybody's out there eating each other? But then, we made a discovery."

Alice glanced to the chamber - there was definitely someone inside. She figured it was safe to assume that whoever was inside was the 'discovery' that Luther mentioned.

Claire's jaw dropped. "Chris?" she all but whispered at the man now standing at the cell door. It was a complete surprise to see her brother after all this time. He was alive, well… and locked up. That was about to change, and it was about to change _quickly _if she had anything to say about it. And as angry women so often do, she did have something to say about it. "Open this door NOW!"

To his misfortune, Luther didn't stand down. "No! I'm not letting him out!"

Straightening her posture and unconcerned that Luther had at least six inches on her, Claire invaded his personal space. Her voice went cold, but the fury could not be mistaken. "Open the door, Luther."

The man sneered and reached out to push her back as he said, "No."

Before Luther's hand could knock into her shoulder, the redhead grabbed it and twisted with the right amount of force to put him in an arm lock. Luther grunted in pain as Claire 'accidentally' forced his hurting arm a little higher on his back.

For the second time that day, Claire surprised Alice. Not only did the redhead know the man inside the cell, but she'd stood up to Luther without a second thought. If she actually needed incentive to make sure the other woman got what she wanted, that was more than plenty.

While Claire had Luther a little preoccupied, Alice took the few steps up to the door of the cell, grabbed the handle, and gave it a firm yank. There was a sharp sound as the metal of the lock broke apart and a second later the door slid open. Without a word, she stepped back down to allow the man out of the cell.

At the noise of Alice wrenching the door open, Claire looked away from the man she was about to threaten and instead into the eyes of her only remaining family member. Luther was released instantly.

Chris knew he should've been more astounded at the woman that had just freed him, but the appearance of his sister was all that mattered to him. "Claire?"

The pair walked to each other and swiftly enfolded the other in silent a hug. Sibling rivalry reared its playful head as the brother and sister each fought to hug the other tighter. Being the older child, Chris let Claire win, though he had no doubt she really could give him a run for his money in just about anything now. In the mere moments spent reunited, he could see that Claire wasn't the young woman he'd left behind when he joined S.T.A.R.S.

Claire felt the tears threatening to spill, so she released Chris.

Unimpressed with the reunion, Luther attempted to step in and re-establish his alpha status. The glare that Alice shot him had him stopping mid-step though. "Back off," she told him lowly.

It looked like he wanted to argue with her, but then he thought better of it. The blonde had just yanked open a very sturdy locked door without any effort. There was clearly more to her than she'd been letting on.

Alice wasn't the only one that Luther grated the wrong way. Claire could almost feel Chris's disdain rolling off him. Who knew how long Chris had been locked up, or even why? As far as she was concerned, her brother had every right to hate his captor. That would be a story she would get from him later. Before the room exploded with rising tempers, Claire directed Chris to Alice.

"Chris, this is Alice," Claire introduced; then looked at the blonde with a faint smile – a small thank you for freeing her brother – to do the same. "Alice… this is my brother."

Alice's real thanks would come later.

The blonde walked over and shook Chris's hand. "Nice to meet you." Alice hadn't intentionally done something for anyone else for quite some time, but having freed Claire's brother for her felt pretty damn good.


	10. One Decided to Stay

**Hi! It's been forever and a day, but if we're not back with a vengeance, then... No, we are. Trust us. If there's even one reader left alive, well… that one reader would be ever so kind if they reviewed. ;) **

**This chapter comes with a couple announcements… Bad news is we won't get another chapter done until July is over (more than likely). Why? – you ask. That's where the good news comes in. I, Andrella07, am going on vacation… so is Cantholdon. At the same time. To the same place. We're both meeting someone. (I'm wagging my eyebrows here, come on readers!) That's right! We hooked up (what an odd expression… Why am I so easily distracted?). Ahem. Yes, Cantholdon is mine. You can't have her. Funny thing is though, she's the possessive one. Today's our fourth month… so congratulate us with reviews? Haha. I swear this isn't a ploy for reviews (but I am certainly going on). And you can blame the dry spell on the fact that I spend all my time talking to her. (Dear, will you say something to the readers before they sharpen their pitchforks because I can't shut my mouth?)**

… **Ahem. So. Apparently I'm supposed to say something here. (This is Cantholdon, for those who didn't know ;) ). Pitchforks will not be tolerated. Remember Judgment? Pitchforks will be dealt with via Judgment. So… just review and leave the mob gathering for another writer who doesn't have such a possessive/protective girlfriend, yeah?**

_**Enjoy**_** the chapter…**

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Chapter 10: One Decided to Stay

There was something special about seeing Chris and Alice shake hands. Claire wanted them to get along for more reasons than she could describe. It wasn't a moment after the introductions were complete when the redhead's brother cut to the chase.

"So," Chris met his onetime captive's eyes, "I take it you finally want to get out of here."

"You know a way out?" Claire asked, bringing Chris's attention back and his animosity under control.

"Sure thing, sis. Have I ever steered you wrong before?" The man raised an eyebrow, but all Claire could do was shake her head. There had been many, many times he'd done _exactly_ that. "Come with me," Chris put a heavy arm around his sister's shoulder trying to steer her away from Luther and towards the exit, "you too Alice, and I'll tell you both all about it!"

The redhead smiled at Chris's blatant dislike for Luther. She knew they wouldn't leave Luther out of the escape, but it was certainly fun making him wonder. Still, there was something else that needed to be taken care of before they got that far.

"No offence," Claire stated, "but I'm not going anywhere with you until you take a shower. How long have you been in there?" With a scowl Claire quickly licked her thumb and tried to wipe a dark smudge off her brother's forehead. "You've got dirt all over your face."

Chris shied from away from his nagging sister with a sarcastic taunt, "Thanks, _Mom_."

Alice was amused by the siblings' interactions. Clearly the two were glad to see one another and she was glad to have aided the reunion. There was no doubt that Claire could have gotten Luther to let the other man out of the cell, but it had been much easier with the route she went.

Now the only problem would be questions coming up about how she had opened the cell door. That, and getting out of the prison alive. Surely if Chris said he knew a way out, then he really did.

Fighting their way out - while possible - wasn't a very good option. There were too many undead outside just waiting for a chance to get in - and if they did, they'd wash over the prison like water on rock.

Once Chris was showered and finished with griping about how cold the water was, he led his sister and Alice to a courtyard outside. They'd picked up other followers, Luther lagging the furthest behind. The man's eyes were instantly drawn upwards. Chris hadn't seen the sky in years. For a moment, his captivity overwhelmed him. He'd been deeply wronged by Luther and if he wasn't certain it would be a little looked down upon by his sister, Chris would have killed that man.

With a sigh, the former S.T.A.R.S. operative walked over to a large, steel gray garage door. Meeting Claire's eyes, he said, "Behind this door is a UPV – urban pacification vehicle. The prison kept it in case of serious riots. Sixteen wheels, steel plates, water cannon, seats twenty…" Chris let a smirk appear on his face. "Basically, ten tons of fun. We'll drive right over them."

Claire's eyebrows rose. It was an impressive description. Certainly a vehicle they could use to escape now that the helicopter was gone.

Angel went to the door and made an annoyed observation. "It's locked. We'll have to cut through it." The solider started to walk away before finishing, "Hold on, I'll be right back."

Chris assumed the man was going to get a torch to cut the lock. He took the time to study his sister's friend. First off, there was whatever she had done to bust him out of his cell. The blonde was standing only a few feet from Claire at the moment. To a family member's knowing eye, Claire was perfectly relaxed around the woman.

He couldn't figure it out, and pawned the feat off to a faulty lock that had seen years of wear without care. Still, he knew that was just his subconscious trying desperately to grapple with something he couldn't explain.

Alice had stayed fairly close to Claire. There wasn't much reason to not trust the people that had been staying in the prison, but she didn't need a reason not to trust them. She would have stayed relatively near the redhead anyway, even with the other woman's brother around.

When the UPV was brought up, she couldn't help but to be skeptical of it. Going right out into the mass of undead was dangerous, even with ten tons of fun, as Chris put it. That left plenty of margin for error, plenty of things to go wrong.

While they waited on Angel to return, the blonde's attention gravitated toward the gate. There were hundreds - probably thousands - of undead just on the other side of the wall. The amount of undead didn't bother her, though she couldn't help but think that she didn't have nearly enough weapons on her if the gate were to fall.

Angel eventually came back with a torch to cut open the lock on the door. If there was good news inside of the garage, then maybe they'd be getting out of the prison after all.

Or maybe they'd be staying exactly where they were. Inside the garage was the vehicle Chris had promised, but it was clearly not in working condition. Hanging from steal chains was the high-powered engine that belonged to the UPV.

Claire's jaw dropped with pessimism. "Fuck me."

Alice glanced over when she heard Claire swearing. No wonder the redhead was unhappy. Apparently they weren't going to just drive on out of the prison. "Can we fix it?" she questioned.

"Yes... but it will take probably a week," Angel answered.

Claire gave a deep sigh. She hadn't wanted to stay in the prison for any real length of time, but it couldn't be helped. They were still safe inside the high walls, but she found being so close to the undead, their moans penetrating her ears and filling her head, to be unnerving. At least she had both Alice and Chris here with her.

Patience wasn't exactly her forte, and neither was being trapped. How Chris had not gone insane imprisoned in such a small place was beyond her. She craved freedom; needed to do something productive with her time. Claire could already see that her active mind was going to have to be distracted. There was only one thing that would be able to occupy the redhead's attention to her satisfaction.

"Well," Claire said turning to Alice, "what do we do now?"

The blonde thought about the question for a few moments before shaking her head. "There's not much we can do," she finally offered up. "We're going to have to wait for the UPV to be fixed." Being trapped inside the prison was definitely not a prospect that she liked, but they didn't have much of a choice at the moment.

The survivors that had been in the prison were long practiced in keeping themselves busy. For Alice and Claire, even Chris, it was a different story. Claire spent rest of the day with her brother. Night was reserved for someone else, however. She'd yet to thank the blonde for her help earlier, but unlike the UPV – there was an easy fix for that.

Alice had given Claire some space so the redhead could spend time with her brother. She knew how important that was to the other woman.

Rather than bothering with the other survivors, she isolated herself a bit. The blonde took to meticulously cleaning all of her weapons and fully reloading them. It wasn't that the undead horde just beyond the walls of the prison set her on edge, but she needed something to do - especially around other people. There was only one person she was comfortable with and Claire was spending time with Chris.

Since she was taking her time, cleaning the weapons took most of what was left of the day. That didn't hurt her feelings in the least. The only thing she didn't particularly care for was the fact that she'd seen very little of Claire during the day. If nothing else, she figured they would at least get in a 'goodnight', and that would have to do.

Claire found her brother's rescuer reassembling a semiautomatic in a secluded part of their refuge. There was a doubt in her mind that Alice knew she was there, even though she was approaching from behind.

"I wanted to thank you for earlier," Claire said after she was only a few feet away from the blonde.

Alice had heard the redhead's approach, so she wasn't all that surprised when the other woman spoke. "There's no need to thank me," she responded with a shake of her head. Her attention remained on the weapon that she was putting back together, despite the fact that she'd actually been missing the redhead's presence throughout the day.

Of course that was what Alice would say. She was too noble for her own good.

"Just the same," Claire reached out for the hand that Alice had left on top of the finished gun, "I'd like to." Pulling Alice away from her project, Claire gave her an attractive smile. "Got anything in mind?"

As soon as Claire's hand came into contact with her own, Alice completely forgot about finishing what she was doing. The importance of weapons paled in comparison to the redhead. "You really don't have to thank me," she pointed out. "It was just the right thing to do."

Claire thought for a moment, the hand in her own kept there but not forgotten about. The right thing in her mind had been beating Luther into the ground. For all the violence Alice was capable of, she'd taken the peaceful approach. Claire smiled softly as she remembered how gentle Alice had been with her, how she'd always been that way with her.

Still, the blonde wasn't taking the hints Claire thought she was making obvious. It was the blissfully ignorant tactic this time, but Claire had plans for that. "You know, I'm still a little cold from that shower. And it's chilly down here." Tilting her head to the side, she began to tease Alice. "Didn't you offer to… warm me up?"

She was completely bullshitting Alice. While there was a chill to the dank prison, Claire wasn't cold in the slightest. Heat was flushing into her cheeks at the thought of pulling the blonde into her cell and never letting her go. She couldn't believe she wanted another woman, but she did want Alice – badly.

Alice was surprised when her words from earlier were brought back up. She couldn't deny that she was incredibly intrigued; she couldn't deny that she wanted the redhead. "Well... I guess I did make the offer," she finally confirmed with a nod.

Claire didn't release Alice's hand as the pair walked back to the redhead's cell. It was technically closer, even though the blonde's was only right next door. She still wasn't sure if Alice was getting the signals she was sending her way, but her next move left little doubt.

The torches in her room had burned out, but that didn't stop Claire from finding Alice's lips as she lightly pushed the blonde back into an icy wall. Lights out meant they wouldn't be seen, but it didn't mean they wouldn't be heard…

Alice barely registered the cold wall behind her, all she could feel was the heat radiating from Claire. She returned the kiss as soon as the redhead's lips found her own. Her hands settled at Claire's hips, pulling the other woman closer to her.

If there was any doubt as to what Claire had wanted, it was gone now - and that was perfectly fine with Alice. After a moment, she pushed herself off of the wall, backing the redhead toward the cot in the cell.

When Claire felt her legs hit the cot, she moved onto it, pulling Alice along with her by her collar. The redhead's cherished bracelet caught in the worn fabric. With unthinking haste Claire removed the jewelry from her wrist. The wire-work fell to the floor and rolled to a small crater in the aged cement.

She was very glad to find no resistance from the other woman as she continued to drag the blonde down on top of her. This was something she never would have expected of herself, but it just felt too right to be wrong.

Not once did their lips separate as they maneuvered onto the bed. The cot was small, but it offered just enough room for them. Their weapons, ammunition, holsters – everything that wasn't made of cloth – were lost much in the same way as K-mart's old bracelet.

The redhead's hands weren't idle. She reached up and grabbed the bottom of Alice's shirt, tugging it up and off of the blonde with a bit of assistance from the other woman. Claire wished there was a little more light to illuminate the skin she'd just exposed, but she would have to make do with learning it all by feel.

Alice wasn't about to be the only one being undressed. She quickly divested Claire of her own shirt and let it drop off the side of the bed. Once the offending article of clothing was done away with, she put her lips to good use again, letting them find and explore the redhead's collar bone.

Claire couldn't help the faint moan that left her when Alice's lips met her skin. Although this was her first time with another woman, she wasn't without direction. Passion was simple enough. The faster you lose yourself in the heat, the sooner you're consumed in the blaze.

With each piece of clothing that was lost, the inferno between the two women burned even hotter until they were both sure the whole cell had caught on fire. Soon skin was pressed tight to skin, not a single scrap of cloth separating the two.

The redhead attempted to gain a bit of control in the situation by trying to flip them over. Alice, however, would have none of it. She was just as gentle as ever with the other woman, but firm in the fact that Claire was staying right where she wanted. She pressed a knee between the redhead's thighs to further banish all thoughts of a power struggle, eliciting another moan from Claire. The other woman couldn't stop her hips from bucking against the blonde's leg, trying to feed the friction between them.

Claire moved steadily against Alice's leg, but it was doing nothing to quell the mounting desire inside of her. If anything, it only heightened the sense. She was ultra-aware of everything – the feeling of Alice's lips pressed against hers, how their bodies just melted together, how wet she was, how badly her desire needed to be met.

The blonde realized that much more was necessary. She pulled back from their kiss, shifting a bit so that her lips were hovering dangerously close to the other's ear. "I want to be inside of you," she whispered.

Just a few simple words made Claire's need skyrocket higher than she could remember it being. "God, Alice… _please_," she responded with enthusiasm. A panted whimper escaped her as the blonde's knee was pulled back from her. That protest was quickly put to rest as Alice's questing fingers replaced it.

The redhead squirmed against Alice's teasing. Her want was at an all-time high, she didn't think there was anywhere else for it to go. Apparently the other woman knew her much better than that, because she only felt the intensity of her need growing – far more than she had ever thought was possible.

Finally, Alice indulged the redhead and dipped inside the other woman. She was met by a thoroughly pleased sound of approval as Claire arched into her hand. Since patience had been forced on the redhead, Alice didn't make her wait too long – especially since she wasn't sure how much more the other woman could take.

Claire's vocals couldn't be contained as Alice's fingers moved within her – not that she could even think straight enough to regain control of herself. The only thing on her mind was that each of the blonde's strokes pushed her closer to the edge until a strangled moan tore itself out of her as she stiffened against Alice. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her body, each one taking her a little further away from the coherent world. When the waves finally began to ebb away, the ability to think slowly returned.

This time when the redhead attempted to flip them, it was a silent demand that Alice didn't fight. Once they were resituated, Claire caught the other woman in another heated kiss – the inferno blazing back to life with renewed force. Unlike the blonde, Claire didn't get caught up in the teasing. She wanted to know she could do the same for Alice as the other woman had just done for her, and she simply didn't have the patience.

Her hands explored the blonde's body a bit before one of them slid down over Alice's abdomen. Though she had never done something like this with another woman before, the mechanics were easy enough to grasp. She slowly slipped inside the other woman, tentative touch bolstered when Alice offered up a quiet moan in response.

Claire leaned in to connect their lips once more, all thoughts flying a million miles away again. Her pace gradually increased, confidence building each time Alice arched into her or made some sound of approval. She continued working at the other woman until the blonde was forced to break away from the kiss, breath catching somewhere in her lungs as she crashed over the edge into blissful oblivion.

After they'd had a few moments to recover, Alice suddenly realized that Claire might actually regret what they just did. The redhead hadn't exactly been all that accepting after just a kiss; this was something more than a simple kiss. She didn't really want to stick around to find out, so without a word, she attempted to get out of the bed so she could gather her things and go.

Before Alice could make it that far, Claire sat up and grabbed the blonde by the wrist.

"Don't go." Her voice had been a bare whisper, conveying need – the need she had for Alice.

The blonde had stopped as soon as Claire sat up. She glanced back at the other woman before offering a nod. "I'll stay," she agreed.

A light smile played on Claire's lips in the darkness. She pulled Alice back into bed and once the woman was settled on her back, laid her head gently down on Alice's shoulder at the same time covering them with a sorry excuse for a blanket.

Alice was actually quite glad that the redhead wanted her to stay. Once again, her first assumption had been proven wrong - but that wasn't a bad thing.

As they settled in the bed together, she wrapped an arm around Claire. Maybe tonight she could ease up a little, drop her guard a bit and just be with the other woman without worrying about the rest of the world.

The body beneath Claire was relaxed, but the redhead herself was uneasy. She felt Alice's breathing slow, each rise and fall of her chest fell into a quiet rhythm.

It wasn't long after Alice fell asleep that Claire realized she wouldn't be resting any time soon. Having someone so close, so intimately nearby that they were sharing the same air, was overwhelming. She slowly moved out of Alice's hold and moved to grab her clothes. Putting on the bare minimum, not even grabbing her gun, Claire left the cell and walked to the roof.

She just needed a little fresh air.

The roof was free of any other survivors, but this late Claire didn't expect to run into a single soul. Fog was still choking the sky and even muffling the sound of the undead below. With any luck, the sun would burn the mist away come daylight and they could catch another sight of the ship… the _Arcadia_.

Claire tried to think of the freighter, of possible freedom, but all she found on her mind as she stared outward into the haze was Alice.

The last time she'd been with someone was with Carlos around when he first joined her convoy. It was strictly sex, merely a means for pleasure and forgetting that the world was going to Hell. There had never been any words about it. What was there to say? Even before the outbreak, Claire struggled with relationships. She couldn't keep a man for more than six months. She didn't want to. Men were supposed to emotionally deficient, yet it was almost as they all tried to compensate for her lack. The second they got too needy or started talking about moving things forward or – heaven forbid – said the word 'love' she was out.

Sex confused her. She didn't understand how the act could instill emotional attachment. Love was a means of control, and a bullshit one at that.

But Claire couldn't stop thinking about the woman asleep in her bed as she leaned on her elbows against one of the taller retaining walls. For the first time, she wondered if that was how 'love' was supposed to feel. There was a gentle ache to her chest, and she knew it was because of the lack of Alice. Claire gave a sigh.

It was Alice she needed to get back to. The feelings were real. The pain of being without her was real too.

Before the angst got to be too much to handle, Claire turned to go back into the interior of the prison. In a second the fog was cleared and a roaring machine, cloaked in darkness, hovered between Claire and the door to the stairs. A spotlight was put upon the redhead to blind her. The rooftop gravel was pitched into the air much like her helicopter had done when she had landed the other day. There were hardly seconds to think before multiple silhouettes landed on the shifting rocks and broke the beam of light.

She was grabbed from behind first; her arms held securely right before something sharp pierced her chest. Claire tried to throw her captors. The pain in her sternum from whatever her attackers had done was real. Real enough to get one desperate cry for help, "Ali-" but before it could be finished, several more holes were put in Claire, eight to be exact. Whatever the reasoning for the new needle-like injuries, their effect was made very clear.

She was being drugged; the poison inside her weighty like tar as her heart pumped the serum through her bloodstream. Quickly, her limbs became heavy and her thoughts sluggish. Claire could only struggle for another few moments before all strength left her. She passed out to the sound of propeller blades and strange, shouting voices.

To Alice, it seemed that morning came far too soon, but it also came with a sense of foreboding. The first thing that was off was the fact she woke to an empty bed. Claire had been so intent on her staying, but was now gone.

The blonde got up and found only her clothes on the floor. She quickly gathered the discarded clothing and dressed so she could further assess the situation. Perhaps the other woman had gotten up a bit early to go and get breakfast... but that certainly couldn't have been the case. A deep frown creased Alice's brow when she saw the bright, woven bracelet that Claire was so attached to lying on the floor. The redhead wouldn't forget something so important. Leaning down, Alice picked up the homemade piece of jewelry, worry quickly taking over.

Something serious had to have happened.

Claire was gone.

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**-makes **_**extremely**_** swift exit- Off to see the gf! BYE!**


	11. One Lost Control

**Well, well, well… Cantholdon here. About time, isn't it? Did you guys think we forgot about you? We certainly did not. Life was going on and writing simply did not happen. You get a nice, long chapter out of the deal, so hopefully that helps.**

**For those who are curious, Andrella and I had an amazing vacation together. What was meant to be two weeks turned into a month and a half – part of the reason it's taken so long for us to update.**

**And a note about this chapter: Andrella is writing for Chris. Just so everybody knows.**

**Read on and remember to review – they help inspire us to write more.**

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Chapter 11: One Lost Control

Chris found he liked nothing more than his freedom. Actually, there was one rival to his liberty – his sister, alive and well. The young woman had been his only living family member before the outbreak, and it was only right that they survive this together too. He had missed her.

Morning couldn't come soon enough for Chris. He was ready to face his first day as a free-man, not contained with nothing to do but pace and plot against those who would see him caged forever.

Still he was uneasy…

Something just didn't feel right. Chris wanted to chalk up his anxiety to the fact that Luther was probably keeping tabs on him as well as hand on the gun in his waistband. The S.T.A.R.S. member couldn't wait to get a weapon of his own, and he knew just the place. As soon as he checked on Claire and had breakfast, he would head to the armory.

Upon the discovery of an empty bed and a left behind, cherished bracelet, Alice was quick to get moving. There was still a shred of hope in her that Claire had merely forgotten the bit of homemade jewelry and had just slipped away quietly somewhere, so as not to wake Alice. That shred of hope was ridiculous at best, but the blonde could hardly handle the thought that Claire was actually gone - something had actually happened to her.

Alice went through the commonly occupied parts of the prison, searching for her missing companion, but the effort was fruitless. Surely the redhead was around here somewhere. There was another person that the woman could have been with - her brother. He was Alice's next target. If he hadn't seen Claire, then there really was trouble.

Alice found the man on the way to the mess hall and approached him with haste. "Have you seen Claire?" she questioned Chris, a concerned frown still upon her features.

"Can't say I have," responded Chris. "I've been all over this place looking for her." In truth, the man had been distracted by his wandering. He'd been everywhere but two areas, the mess hall and the roof. Neither had any sign of Claire.

The fact that Chris hadn't seen Claire only heightened Alice's anxiety. "She wasn't in her cell this morning," she told the man. She certainly wasn't going to tell him that she'd shared that cell with the redhead last night. "I can't seem to find her either."

Chris's eyebrows furrowed as he turned to continue down the hallway. "She probably just went for an early breakfast," he said, walking at a brisk pace.

The pair went quickly down to the cafeteria, meeting up with everyone except Angel and the missing person in question.

Angel wasn't absent long. They'd only been in the mess hall for a few moments when the Hispanic man came rushing in. "Th-the _Arcadia_…i-it's leaving," he announced through puffs of air. He had run all the way down from the roof.

"Leaving?" Alice repeated.

"Yeah, leaving," Angel confirmed with a nod, leaning against a table to catch his breath. "Looks like it's heading south."

The coincidences were starting to add up. There was really only one possible conclusion, and it didn't take Chris long to reach the roof, the rest of those trapped inside the prison on his heels. Just like Angel had said, the ship was on the move. It was becoming a speck in the distance.

There was no doubt that Claire was on that ship. She was nowhere to be found in the prison – it was the only explanation. But where was the _Arcadia_ heading?

"Where is it going?" Crystal voiced the obvious question.

"We're going to lose sight of it soon," Alice observed. "Turn the radio back on; see if they're broadcasting again. We need to find a way out of here – now."

"The UPV isn't ready yet," Angel chimed in as Luther twisted a knob on the radio. "It's not even close."

There was nothing but static coming across the radio waves. To everyone's dislike, the _Arcadia_ wasn't making any broadcasts.

"We need weapons," Alice decided aloud. "A lot of them." If the UPV wasn't ready, she'd fight her way out.

It was as if Alice had read Chris's mind. But what she didn't read; had no way of knowing, was that Chris already had another plan. His original plan. The only problem was that it included Claire and no one else. "There's an armory in the basement. More weapons than you can dream of."

"I highly doubt that, but just about anything will do right now," she replied. "Let's take a trip to the basement."

The reason behind Luther's sour expression was made known rather quickly. "That area's been flooded since we got here."

Chris was still smug as ever as he walked to the stairs. "That won't be a problem."

Minutes later found the group at a flooded staircase. Alice looked at the water with distaste. It wasn't an impossible obstacle, but it wouldn't be an easy one to overcome. The whole group wouldn't be able to go.

"Chris, Luther, we'll go to the armory, get everything that we can carry. The rest of you can go get to work on the UPV, maybe get it working a little sooner than expected," she told them.

Chris tried to hold his snicker but ended up having to turn it into a scowl as he thought about the nasty swim before him. Knowing there was a much more disgusting feat waiting for him he jumped into the tepid water. The flashlight Alice had given him illuminated the dust and debris floating in the murky depths. A few seconds later, he felt the shockwaves in the water when Luther and Alice jumped in behind him.

It was hard to say quite how long he held his breath and swam, but just as an unreal blackness crept into his peripheral vision, he broke the surface.

Alice and Luther were right behind Chris. His light dimming from lack of battery, Chis cracked a red flare.

"Which way?" Luther questioned Chris impatiently.

Chris had put up with far too much from the Luther to give him any kind of civil reply. Luther would know in a matter of footsteps anyway. Holding the flare out in front of him, Chris walked to the armory and opened the door.

Alice was right behind Chris as they entered the armory and she was pleasantly surprised to see what was inside. The walls were full of weapons and ammunition, plus there were racks throughout the room sporting even more firepower.

"Nice," she commended with an appreciative nod. This certainly wasn't what she expected, but it was very welcome.

Chris felt a charmed smile appear on his face. Alice was really starting to grow on him. Simply for freeing him he would've let her in on his plan, but because she mattered to Claire and because he could really use her help to get Claire back… he would tell her how they were really going to leave.

They filled a handful of duffel bags with guns, ammunition, and even got some explosives in there. It wouldn't go that far considering the horde outside - especially if they ended up having to fight their way through it. It would get them by though, and offered up a little more sense of security - a gun with extra ammo was everyone's security blanket nowadays.

The weapons-gathering was spent in silence, but again Luther had to voice his unhappiness. "Now just how are we supposed to get these back topside?"

Alice glanced around the room and spotted an air duct in the ceiling. "We'll climb back out," she said with a nod.

Once free of the air duct, Chris let Luther go on and stopped Alice with a whisper. "Hey, hang back for a minute. I want to talk to you."

Alice glanced ahead and watched Luther walk away before looking back to Chris. She didn't offer him a verbal response, merely giving him a look that said he needed to start talking before she started walking.

"There's a reason the UPV is still around." Chris glanced over Alice's shoulder to make sure Luther had gone on without them before he continued. "It's broken. Angel might be able to put it back together, but it's not going to run. Had that thing been in working order, it would've been gone a long time ago." The man paused, mostly for effect. This had been his plan all along, to abandon those who never freed him, to give them false hope and to laugh when he left them to their doom. "But I still have a way out of here," he finished.

The blonde was surprised to hear that the UPV wasn't working. That would set back her plans for getting Claire back. Chris had another way out, but it was a plan that only a couple of them could follow through with - and they'd have to have a lot of luck to manage the feat. Alice didn't like the idea of leaving the others behind, but there wasn't much of a choice. Taking them out Chris's way would more than likely get them killed.

The bags that she and Chris had would have enough weapons to get them through - it would have to be enough. Going back for more was out of the question and taking all of the weapons would look suspicious to the others. They wouldn't need anything else, so the two were already prepared to try and make a break for it.

The pair went around to a back courtyard, away from the garage and where everyone was likely gathered. Because it was a high security prison, there was only one exit for the inmates – through front door, or in a body bag – but for the correction officers there was a back entrance. The small gate out was crowded with just as many of the undead.

Chris walked to the welded metal, careful not to get too close to the rotting, reaching hands. He'd thought about this moment far too often. He would get out if it cost every one of his fellow survivors their lives; he hoped it would. Taking out a detonator from his bag, he flipped the timed switch and didn't give Alice a second's notice before he tossed it.

The man was admittedly feeling reckless; he didn't even take cover, just walked backwards a few steps before the explosion blasted corpses into the gate and warped the rusty metal with their impact. There was no fear of infected blood splattering onto him. Any liquid that expulsed from the bodies was burned into non-existence as the flames scorched the immediate area. Chris could feel the heat from it. His face acquired marks of soot from the ash and smoke, like he'd never showered at all.

If Alice had been given warning, she would have protested the method of getting out. This way of getting out left the chance of infected getting inside the prison and to the other survivors. There was no room to argue now though. What was done, was done. Now they had to make a break for it.

Chris ran for the manhole that his bomb had uncovered. It wouldn't be long before the undead that weren't destroyed gathered whatever wits the T-virus had left them with and went after them. The cover stuck for a second, then gave loose.

"I'll take point," Chris said before dropping his bag down the hole, and following himself.

Alice was right behind Chris. She waited for him to get down the manhole, glancing around to make sure the undead weren't catching up too quickly. Once Chris was down, she followed him. She made sure to slide the manhole cover back into place, that way the infected wouldn't be able to swarm after them.

A light split the darkness, quickly followed by another. Chris led the way, trying to keep his sense of direction intact as he navigated the labyrinth of tunnels. The smell was overpowering, but at this point, Chris was just happy to be free of the prison once and for all.

They walked for hours, reaching the end of the city's sewer system before they went topside. The sun was nearly setting, but the fresh air was enough to jumpstart his energy.

"We need to find a ride," he said to Alice, offering her a hand out of the sewer.

Alice didn't take the offered hand - instead she hoisted herself out of the sewer. "That's easier said than done," she pointed out. Nowadays, finding a vehicle in working order was nearly impossible.

It took them a while to find anything that would start, but eventually a small truck sputtered to life for them. It was close to falling apart, but it was drivable and had enough room in the bed for their weapons. All the vehicle had to do was get them to wherever the_ Arcadia_ had gone.

Chris took the wheel, happy Alice allowed him this boon even though she hadn't accepted his help out of the sewer. The blonde was a mystery. Perhaps once they got Claire back, she could explain what she was even doing with this woman.

As Chris drove, Alice checked to see if the radio happened to be working. She hoped to pick up the _Arcadia's_signal, but there was no such luck. It had probably been sitting for far too long and simply wouldn't work anymore.

They hugged the coastline as they traveled. All they really had to go on was the direction they'd last seen the ship heading. There was a very good chance they wouldn't find the _Arcadia_at all. It could have gone out to sea at any point. Still, Alice watched the water like a hawk, hoping to see a sign of their target.

It seemed like they traveled forever, but in reality it was only a couple of hours. They passed through a couple of ocean side towns, and were quickly approaching San Diego. That was when Alice spotted something. It was still far out in the distance, but she could see lights out on the water.

"Chris, there it is," she announced, motioning in the direction of the lights.

Chris took his eyes from the road. Just like Alice had said, a few dim lights floated on top of the water.

Now that they knew where the ship was, they just had to get to it. Unfortunately that meant making their way through the deteriorating city of San Diego. At least in Los Angeles they'd been able to bypass most of the congestion of the clogged streets because they traveled by the sewer system. They wouldn't be as lucky this time.

Even before the outbreak, it took time to get across the city. Now they had endless roadblocks to climb over and the lingering undead to contend with. It was taking much longer than Alice would have liked to get through the city, but it was necessary. They had to find a dock and then hope there was a boat left that would run. That was the only way they'd get to the _Arcadia_.

They didn't even reach the docks until near dawn, having to abandon their vehicle on a road choked with vehicles and no hope to get around them. Walking hadn't been ideal, and they had a few hostile engagements with the undead.

But it was nothing like what awaited them at the docks – not even close.

"What the_ fuck_ is that thing?" Chris shouted, completely caught off guard.

Prowling the docks like the Grim Reaper himself was a monster Chris had never seen before. Trailing behind the humanoid, dragging along wooden planks at sloth speed, was a giant axe. Large nails stuck out of the creature's burlap-covered head in multiple places, and the fabric of the sack was stained with blood because of it. The apron and gloves he wore, coupled with the red-orange sunrise in the background, made him look like a butcher with blood newly spilled.

Alice's immediate assumption about the monstrosity was that Umbrella was involved with it. Though there were many unsettling things in the world now, there was little to no chance that a creature like that would be aimlessly wandering about.

There was no hesitation as she reached into her bag and produced a shotgun. If that thing was in her way, then she was going to find a way to kill it. With the _Arcadia_so near, there was no way some creature - no matter how beastly - would stop her.

She dropped the bag she'd been carrying to give herself more room to work. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't likely to go down easily - and that was just judging from its size. If Chris wanted to lend a hand in killing the monster, she wasn't going to object. If he didn't want to, then she'd take it on alone.

Chris un-holstered the Beretta 93R he'd plundered from the abandoned armory. His S.T.A.R.S. training kicked in as the butcher turned to the pair and readied his great axe.

Alice stepped toward the giant, unfazed by his bulk. She brought the shotgun up and fired off two rounds at him. The Axeman - as she mentally dubbed him - didn't so much as stagger from the two blasts. Instead, he swung his massive axe around. His slow speed made it easy to get away from the great weapon, but one hit from that thing could spell very bad news for either Alice or Chris.

Chris unleashed a barrage of bullets, but just like the shotgun it seemed to have absolutely no effect. He even tried to shoot the monstrosity straight through the head - more than once - and nothing happened.

Alice got closer to the monster, apparently having no fear for her own safety. In fact, she got close enough to it to jump up into the air and plant a booted foot where its face would have been. The Axeman hardly moved despite the powerful kick and swung his axe once more. The blonde had barely gotten her feet back on the ground before they left it once more as she was hit by the broad side of the axe and knocked several feet away.

Chris moved in, careful to avoid an attack meant to crush his face in, and scooped up the blonde's fallen shotgun. It was far closer than he'd like to be, but the shotgun offered the best bet in doing damage to the behemoth. He fired off a couple of rounds, both to the chest, and while chunks of bloody flesh flew into the air, it wasn't enough to really do anything.

Thinking that maybe they needed to back off and actually come up with a plan, he turned to where Alice had been knocked to the ground, surprised to see that she wasn't there. When his attention returned to the butcher, his amazement doubled to see Alice on the move again. It was as if she hadn't been hit in the first place. He could see an explosive charge in her hand, already armed.

The blonde got close enough to the brute to duck under his axe and get behind him. She managed to plant the explosive on the Axeman at one of the hooks on his back. A quick getaway was made, making her way to Chris and grabbing him to get them both behind a nearby dumpster before the blast tore apart their large foe.

Chris broke cover enough to make sure it was dead – _really_ dead.

"Those things sure do come in handy," he commented, pleased with the explosive's work.

When they were certain the Axeman was down for the count, Alice moved out from their cover. She went back to retrieve the bag she'd dropped when the fight first started. Now all they needed to do was find a boat to get out to the ship.

Only a few boats were floating in the docks, but one was in better condition the rest. Chris's hope was renewed at the sight of the craft.

"Hang in there, Claire. I'm coming for you," he promised.

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_Trapped. I'm trapped inside my own body. Why can't I move?_

_Someone woke me. I was sleeping. Completely unaware._

"Get up."

The voice was unfamiliar to Claire, but she did react to it. She stood, thinking that perhaps her paralysis was merely left over after her grogginess after being woken. She tried to turn to the speaker, but it was as if her veins were filled with lead.

"Face me."

It was a man speaking, his words nothing but absolute authority.

Whether she wanted to or not, Claire would obey. The metal and plastic scarab on her chest would allow nothing less, or actually, it was the drug being injected into her by the device that would keep her docile and under command.

Claire faced the man without a hitch. He was a tall, blonde-haired, muscular figure in sunglasses.

"Welcome to orientation," he said slowly, over-pronouncing syllables here and there. "I am Chairman Wesker. Tell me your name."

"Claire Redfield." Claire's voice left her, completely without her control.

"Congratulations, Claire. You are now part of a super-soldier program developed by the Umbrella Corporation."

All words past 'Umbrella Corporation' meant very little to Claire. She was suddenly doing everything to break free from the spell she was under. It was absolutely no use.

Every command she gave – no matter the level of tone she achieved in her head – changed nothing.

Struggling was useless, and when she stopped, she was brought to a point of clarity. Alice would come for her. Her brother would come for her.

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Chris made for the boat, but stopped short when a person in full-combat gear emerged from the cabin and took position to fire at him. From over his left shoulder, a bullet flew, impacting the solider and sending him overboard. Chris glanced backwards to find Alice with a semiautomatic pistol in hand.

He didn't thank her. There was too much going on in his head. Claire had been kidnapped, they'd just been attacked by some creature, now there's a boat – only lightly guarded by someone with clear military presence… almost waiting for them.

Alice turned her attention to the ship out on the water. Immediately she noticed the color of the ship - a dark forest green. "Chris... wasn't the _Arcadia_ red?" she questioned.

"What?" Chris exclaimed, confused. He dug out a small pair of binoculars from a pouch on his belt and brought them to his eyes.

True to Alice's word, the craft on the open sea wasn't red. The name on the bow, stenciled in the same white lettering as before, was: _CORINTHIA_.

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**Andrella says this: ****The **_**CORINTHIA**_**? WTF is that? It's a ship... And its introduction has made this story just that much longer. :) We hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	12. One Has Friends in Low Places

**See how patience pays off? You all didn't even have to wait a week for the next chapter.**

**We really appreciate the reviews we've gotten so far. Keep 'em coming - they pay off, too.  
**

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Chapter 12: One has Friends in Low Places

"It says… _Corinthia_," Chris reported. "I don't get it."

Alice quirked a brow at Chris's words. Clearly this wasn't the ship that they were looking for, but it seemed everything was set up to be waiting for them. "There's only one way to figure out what's going on here," she pointed out. "We need to get on that ship."

"And you don't think this is a trap?" Chris questioned. "I mean, there's no reason they'd want me, but you… I think I deserve to know what's going on here. Claire didn't tell me shit about you, but I can't help but think this is somehow you're fault," he accused.

Alice brushed the accusation off with a shrug. "It probably is." The admission came out like it was nothing as she moved toward the boat.

Honestly, she'd be surprised if it wasn't a trap. Everything that had happened since the prison had 'trap' written all over it. She didn't want to sidestep around it and try to find a better way because frankly there was no other way. Just making the attempt would waste valuable time.

"I suggest if you want to save your sister, you come on," she told Chris.

The man gave a heavy sigh. He would have nothing without Alice. No leads to follow; no clues in the right direction. Not to mention he could certainly use her abilities, the known ones and the unknown.

He boarded the small craft behind Alice, mumbling to himself as he went at the thought of approaching the ship, "Probably be shot on sight…"

The blonde picked up on Chris's words. "Then we'll make sure to shoot them first," she said.

Putting her bag aside, Alice went over and fired up the boat's engine and took the wheel. She directed the craft out toward the ship, calm and steady despite the threat of danger they were heading straight into.

Chris rolled his shoulders, trying to release some of the tension of not getting any sleep from the night before. It wouldn't be long before they pulled up to the ship… if they even got that far, so Chris began arming himself as well has he could. He pocketed a couple of grenades, reloaded his pistol, and selected a high-quality assault rifle. It was game-time.

The minutes leading up to their arrival were spent in silence. Alice pulled them up next to the access ladder on the port side of the _Corinthia - _this ship was smaller than its counterpart, which was hopefully a good thing_._Before boarding the large ship, she gathered as many weapons as she could.

Once they were ready, Chris led the way up the access ladder. What waited for them on deck was not something that he wanted to see - there were a lot of people waiting for them. In a long line of soldiers, stood a beautiful, blonde woman. She was dressed in tight leather, but it wasn't nearly distracting as the area that was uncovered. Settled atop her cleavage was a large red device. Her helmeted companions were heavily armored and armed. Chris counted 24 men to her right and 23 to her left; all in all, they were facing 48 enemies.

Alice came up behind Chris, taking a quick head count like he did. Her attention settled on the blonde in the middle of the line. "Jill... what an unpleasant surprise. Switched sides, did you?"

The woman offered her a malicious grin. "Project Alice, we knew you'd show up. Always so predictable." She glanced to the men at her left, then to her right. "Capture them, and remember - we need them alive."

Without hesitation, the men moved forward. Some brought up their guns, others had steel batons to try and beat the two down. "I knew this was a trap," Chris muttered.

"Aim just below the helmet, there's an opening in their armor," Alice advised.

"Yeah, I know that," he informed her before bringing up his assault rifle. To avoid being shot himself, he took down six of the soldiers that were taking aim at him.

Alice avoided a barrage of bullets - the soldiers weren't as cautious about shooting at her as they were with Chris. Three soldiers made the mistake of getting within arm's reach. She unsheathed her kukri blades and took the men apart. Without missing a beat, she threw the blade from her right hand only to have it go straight through another soldier's helmet and embed itself in his skull.

Jill stayed back and watched the fight unfold in front of her. She'd wait until the right moment to get involved herself.

Chris took down six more guys with the assault rifle before switching off to his pistol. The grenades weren't an ideal weapon in such close combat, but when they were so outnumbered, there wasn't much of a choice. He pulled one from his pocket, yanking the pin and tossing it into the thickest part of their foes. He wasn't exactly sure where Alice was in all of this, but he figured she'd be out of range - or she could get out of range in time. The blast rocked the deck of the ship, sending nearly a dozen soldiers in every direction - Alice wasn't among them, thankfully.

A couple of soldiers flanked him, forcing him into hand to hand combat. He ducked under a punch coming from his right and turned to fire off a shot point-blank at the man coming up to his left. The shot was no good, hitting him squarely in his bulletproof vest, but it was enough to slow him down temporarily. That allowed Chris to focus on catching an incoming kick from the soldier at his right. The block was successful and with a firm grip to the soldier's leg, he brought his own knee up to impact with the other man's. There was a sickening crack and the man howled in pain before dropping to the deck.

The soldier that had been attacking from the left fully recovered and renewed his attack on Chris. He had a baton in hand this time and swung it around at the former S.T.A.R.S. member. Chris sidestepped to miss the attack, bringing his foot up to plant in the other man's gut. What he wasn't expecting was an arm to wrap around his neck from behind and a fist to land in his side several times. Each impact hurt more than the last and he wrestled to get out of the person's grip. It took a few moments, but he managed to free himself, turning to face his attacker - it was the blonde woman. She was a lot stronger than he would have guessed.

Alice was still fighting Umbrella soldiers - a blade in one hand and a pistol in the other. Their numbers were quickly starting to dwindle away. Considering the company they worked for, she was actually slightly surprised that they were going down so quickly - she expected them to be trained better. That wasn't really her concern at the moment, she'd ponder it later if it was necessary. Right now, these men were in her path to Claire, so they needed to be dealt with in a timely manner.

Chris ducked under another attack from Jill and was forced to duck again fairly quickly. For her size, she was much faster and much stronger than he thought she should have been. When she swung at him again, he took advantage of the opening and grabbed her arm, yanking it around her back. When she tried to bring her other arm up, he grabbed it before she could do any damage and pinned it behind her back as well. She was incredibly hard to contain, and he really didn't know how long he could hold her.

Alice dropped the last two soldiers - impaling one with her blade while turning to shoot the man charging her. Once they were on the ground, she glanced over to Chris, finding that he was struggling to keep a hold of Jill. Her attention focused in on a glowing red device on Jill's chest - that had to have something to do with the woman's change in allegiance. Without a second thought, Alice brought up her pistol, aimed, and fired.

Chris felt the impact of the shot through the woman he was holding, but considering she was still struggling, he knew it wasn't fatal.

Alice quickly approached the two. She had shot the scarab-like device that was on Jill's chest. Once she was close enough she reached forward and grabbed it, giving it a firm pull. Even with her super-strength and damage done to the device, it didn't come off easily. A handful of tense seconds passed by before the scarab was ripped free. Almost immediately, Jill collapsed, completely still on the ground for several moments.

"That was…" Chris panted once, out of breath, before finishing, "intense." He looked at the woman seemingly passed out on the deck; then glanced at Alice. "Do you know her?"

The blonde let out a groan as she slowly pushed herself up from the ground. Alice pointed her gun at the other woman once more, just to be on the safe side. "Yeah, we know each other," she answered.

Jill glanced up toward Alice. "Shoot me, and you're never going to find what - or _who_- you came after."

Alice didn't lower the weapon. "I'll find what I'm after regardless," she said.

Jill shook her head a couple of times. "I'm the only way either of you is going to make it onto the _Arcadia_ alive." She paused a moment before adding, "That's where Claire is, and you're not getting there by yourselves."

"What do we have to do?" Chris asked.

Jill stood up fully, brushing herself off. "You're going to have to cooperate."

Alice had yet to lower her pistol. "And why should we trust you? A few minutes ago, you were trying to kill us," she pointed out.

"Not kill_, capture_," the blonde woman corrected. "Wesker wants the both of you - alive. He knew you'd be drawn to your friends, Alice. That's why he left this ship here while the _Arcadia_ kept sailing. I'm meant to capture you and take you to him."

Chris saw this as an opportunity to finally get some answers. "What does Umbrella want with Alice?"

"There isn't time for questions," Jill shook her head. "Right now, you two need to make a decision - a quick one. You can either try and go in guns blazing and die, or you can go in the smart way. I can help you get onto the _Arcadia_."

"No," Alice said almost immediately. "I'll kill everyone on that ship if I have to."

"You never change," Jill almost chastised her. "If you go that way, you'll be killing yourself, innocent people, and Claire too. That scarab they planted on me? They take control, and that's exactly what they did to Claire."

"And why should we trust you?" Alice demanded. "You were just working for Umbrella, this could all be part of the trap."

"You should know a thing or two about Umbrella taking control," Jill snapped back. "That device drugs people; you can't control your actions. You have to obey every command given."

Alice didn't like this one bit. If Jill was telling the truth and Claire really had one of those things on her, a rescue was going to be difficult. She still didn't know whether or not to trust the woman, considering she'd been under the employ of Umbrella lately.

Jill didn't seem to want to wait around forever. "If I don't report back soon, this place is going to be swarming with more Umbrella soldiers. More than even you can handle, Alice. You can either trust me to get you onto that ship and save lives, or you can really get captured and be handed over to Wesker on a silver platter - and not save anyone."

After a moment of contemplation, Alice finally lowered her pistol. "If this is part of the set-up, I'm going to kill you." When it came down to it, if rescuing Claire meant trusting Jill, she'd do it - even if she didn't like it.

Chris huffed, "I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm gonna let some woman I don't even know lock me up. I only just broke out of prison…" Claire would hear about this when they got her back, and then she wouldn't hear the end of it. But if he was going to lose his freedom again, at least he was giving it to a woman real easy on the eyes.

"You won't be locked up for long," Jill informed Chris. She glanced back over to Alice briefly. "But you... are going to have to pretend to be unconscious."

"What?" Alice questioned.

"We were supposed to hit you with tranquilizers... keep you docile and incapacitated until we get to the _Arcadia_," Jill explained with a grin. "So you need to be convincingly unconscious."

Inside, Alice was fuming. It was bad enough she was practically handing herself over to Umbrella. But to be incapacitated - or at least, pretending to be in this case - was not going to make things easy. If she had to stay that way all the way onto the other ship, she wouldn't be able to get her bearings right away.

"If you don't think you can pull it off, Alice…" Chris smirked, readjusting his grip on the pistol in his hand at the same time. "I'd be happy to take care of that for you."

"I can handle it," Alice replied, just barely civil about it.

"I hope you're sure about that." Chris became serious. "Because if you can't…it could cost Claire her life."

"I know what's at stake," Alice told him.

"Alice, on the ground - be convincing about it," Jill advised, grabbing the coat off of a fallen soldier. She put it on to cover up the fact that the scarab was no longer attached to her and pulled a radio from the pocket. "Chris, you're going to need to be restrained... we'll have a few minutes between now and the arrival of backup." After that, she spoke into the radio. "Project Alice has been incapacitated, Chris Redfield has been captured. I require reinforcements to bring them in."

Chris prepared himself for the restraints by placing his wrists behind his back, and Jill obliged him by putting him in zip ties.

"On the ground," Jill told him after she secured his hands. She stepped away for a moment, picking up the discarded scarab and tossing it overboard before grabbing a gun. Once she made sure Alice was on the ground and convincing in her act, Jill returned to where Chris was to wait for more Umbrella soldiers to show up.

When the osprey came into sight, she placed the barrel of her gun at the base of Chris's neck, so it looked like she really was holding him captive. The Umbrella chopper came in swiftly and landed on deck, a dozen more soldiers charging out of it. Most of them went to Alice, picking up her limp form and dragging her below deck. There was a holding cell waiting just for her - one where they could put her in heavy restraints so that she wouldn't get loose.

Only a few stayed behind with Jill and Chris. "Set us on course to the _Arcadia_," she instructed them. "I want us back to the ship as quickly as possible." The men nodded and set off to the bridge.

Once they were out of earshot, Jill pulled Chris up by his shirt and directed him below deck. There was a place they could hold him as well. "I'll rendezvous with you and Alice on the _Arcadia_. Stay quiet and don't cause any trouble."

Jill nearly blushed when Chris gave her a charmed smile at the mention of trouble. After making sure he was secured, she went to the room they were now holding Alice in.

When the soldiers had left her, Alice didn't bother trying to pretend to be unconscious. There were no cameras or people around, and she'd hear anyone coming. Briefly she wondered if this was the right decision. She was positive she could have gone in guns blazing without a problem, killed everyone on board the _Arcadia_, and saved Claire. But they would be expecting that and she couldn't risk the redhead's safety - especially now that she learned Claire was under Umbrella's control.

She'd do anything to save Claire, even risk handing herself over without a fight.

There were a few footsteps outside the door, but she recognized the person's gait. Jill stepped inside the room without announcing herself first. "Wesker is going to expect you to just be coming to when we get to the _Arcadia_. The effects of the drugs would still have you groggy, slightly out of it. Think you can handle the act?"

"I'll be fine," Alice answered. "What you said about Claire... They really put a bug on her?" When the other woman nodded in answer, she spoke again. "Are you aware of what you're doing?"

"Completely aware, but you have no control over your actions," Jill answered bluntly. "And before it's over, he's probably going to make you fight her. So when she tries to kill you... it's nothing personal."

* * *

"Obedience breeds discipline, discipline breeds unity, unity breeds power, power is life."

"Say it again, Claire," Wesker deadpanned.

Claire did everything she could in her mind to resist the order. In the time she'd been with Wesker, she began to understand the kind of affect the scarab had on her. Small commands, simple ones, she could stall for longer. It had taken hours to get to this point – the point where she could stare down her captor and refuse his wishes for a few moments.

A deeply amused laugh erupted from Wesker's throat. "Fight it all you want. Any second now – it won't matter."

Claire really thought she was making progress, but then she felt a change. Her body temperature warmed the slightest bit where the bug rested on her chest. She was being re-injected with the drug.

The words poured from Claire's lips, and with it, another piece of her spirit. "Obedience breeds discipline, discipline breeds unity, unity breeds power, power is life."

"The sooner you learn this lesson, the easier for you it will be." Wesker began to pace in the white hall, his coat swaying lightly behind him. "You're part of my plans, Claire. Like Alice, except a little more permanent."

At the mention of Alice, the redhead was taken over by dread. Wesker removed his sunglasses with his back towards Claire; then turned and met her eyes. His eyes glowing as scarlet as the device on her chest, Wesker brought his hand up to Claire's face. She had no words to explain the look in the devil's eyes, but he brushed his fingers across her bare cheek with more tenderness than she would have though him capable of.

The nausea at the touch was nothing compared to the sickness in her stomach when suddenly a message played onto a large screen directly behind her captor.

"_Jill reporting. I have brought Project Alice and associate: Chris Redfield. Permission to come aboard, sir?"_

Without turning, Wesker replaced his sunglasses and said with a smile, "Permission granted."

* * *

**Reader: Are they thinking what I'm thinking?**

**Writers: If you're thinking of a girl fight between Alice and Claire…**

**THEN FUCK YEAH!**

**(please hold your applause until after the fight, but feel free to review the chapter in the meantime)**


	13. The Difference Between Us

**We know it's going to come as a shock, but this is the last chapter of the story. We hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Difference Between Us

Alice was surprised by how fast the _Corinthia_ managed to catch up with the _Arcadia. _They hadn't been on the ship for long at all when guards came to retrieve her. This time they were a bit more cautious in handling her, so she knew it was time to start 'waking up' as it were. She let them mostly drag her from the cell and back toward the deck of the ship.

A pair of guards retrieved Chris as well, directing him up to the deck and onward to a gangway that had been put into place between the two ships.

The _Arcadia _was much bigger than the ship they'd just been on, and had three times the amount of soldiers on it. Obviously Jill had been right when she said they wouldn't make it there alive - or that they'd get a lot of other people killed in the process.

Apparently they weren't moving quite as quickly as Jill would have liked, because she came up and shoved one of the guards that had Chris aside. "The Chairman is waiting on us," she pointed out. She only got that close to pull a quick sleight of hand, cutting the zip tie that kept his hands bound.

Once that was done, she stepped ahead again to let another soldier take up the position again. She led the way below deck to the chamber Wesker was waiting in. The soldiers with Chris were right behind her, and behind them were two guards dragging a seemingly semi-conscious Alice with several more soldiers in tow.

Wesker sat atop his white throne, dogs on either side of him, the walls lined with soldiers. Here he felt in control. His undead dogs ready to fight for him, his men ready to die for him, but perhaps more loved than his men and mutts, was the device Claire wore on her chest – the device that pumped P-30 into her system. It would make her a far better slave than any amount of control he had over anything else.

And the best part was that it made Alice a slave too.

The time was fast approaching when Alice would enter his throne room and be introduced to the new and improved Claire. For now, Wesker contemplated just what he could say to torment the pair further.

The large automated doors opened up as Jill approached them. She walked into the chamber with all the authority Wesker would expect from her. "Chairman Wesker, I've brought Project Alice and Chris Redfield," she announced. She walked three-quarters of the way to him before stopping and standing at attention.

The two guards that had Chris ushered him up to stand to Jill's left, barely a step behind her.

The guards with Alice took her to Jill's right. Her first instinct was to start looking around, formulating a plan to get them out of there alive. She wasn't supposed to be that alert yet, so she restrained herself. She had to rely on her other senses and thanks to her enhanced hearing, she could hear the signs of several people in the chamber. Thankfully her hands weren't bound - likely because she was supposed to be drugged - so jumping into action wouldn't be hard at all.

Alice was more out of it than Wekser had anticipated. He needed her aware to hear what he was saying. It was a simple enough fix.

"Jill!" Wesker barked. "Wake our esteemed guest up, and make sure she feels it."

The blonde gave a curt nod, "Sir." A sharp turn and quick step had her in front of the other woman. She knew Alice wouldn't be happy about this at all and half-expected the other woman to blow their cover right there. She raised a hand and backhanded the other woman hard enough to have the impact resound in the room.

It took every ounce of willpower to simply let Jill hit her, but Alice took the blow. She shook her head, stirring more and making the soldiers that were holding her stiffen as if she were about to launch into action.

"That's better," Wesker stated through a cruel smile.

With the Chairman's approval of the action, Jill returned to the spot she'd been in. There was no doubt she'd hear about the slap later.

"Project Alice." When he addressed her, Wesker was pleased to see her respond by turning her attention to him. "You were the first piece of the puzzle and the last. Your experimentation has proved that the T-virus can successfully bond to superior DNA without mutating." It was now that Wesker played his hand. "The virus is strong, it fights me for control. _You_ will provide me that control."

Almost unbidden, Wesker began to laugh. "I always knew you'd wind up right where you are. You're far too predictable, too... _human_." The word left him as if it were an insult. "You're drawn to people you consider friends, to those you believe you can save."

Suddenly, Wesker snapped his fingers. Even with gloves on, his strength was great enough to make a resounding noise. At the command, Claire emerged from behind Wesker like she'd come out of nowhere. The redhead settled next to him, leaning on his throne in a poise that could've been called sensual, but perhaps it was all the dark leather she was wearing that made it seem so.

Alice's attention moved to Claire. Her first observance was all the leather that the redhead had on; then her sight traveled, not for the first time, to the redhead's cleavage. A scarab just like the one that had been on Jill was on Claire. She knew to expect it, she knew what it meant… and she knew that Claire was in this position because of her. Alice couldn't let that get to her at the moment. Right now, her main focus had to be killing Wesker.

"How does it feel Alice?" Wesker looked at the beautiful redhead nearly hanging on his arm and literally hanging on his every word. "Knowing you can't save her…" The man looked up, wanting to see the recognition spark in her eyes when she realized how hopeless her life was, but something else caught his attention instead. "Jill, remove your coat."

Jill had been hoping that Wesker wouldn't say anything about the coat. Unfortunately, she was wrong. She was reluctant to obey, which was just as dangerous as taking off the coat to reveal the scarab was gone.

"Jill," Wesker commanded again, slowly emphasizing every word with rising temper, "remove your coat."

The woman realized she had no choice, but that wasn't such a bad thing. Jill peeled off the jacket with a smirk. She was finally free, and this revelation to a shocked Wesker proved it.

Alice suddenly took control of the situation. Without warning, she yanked an arm free from one of the soldiers, grabbing the one that still had a hold of her and throwing him across the room to impact a couple of the other soldiers along the wall. Before the other man could react, she gave him the same treatment, sending him across the chamber as well.

Jill leapt into action as well. She pulled out the gun she had, taking out the armed soldiers along the walls.

Chris fought the soldiers holding him, anxious to be in the fray. There were many obstacles to their freedom now. Umbrella soldiers, undead dogs, Wesker… even Claire herself.

Wesker grunted in irritation. All was not going to plan. He remained seated, under the false guise that he maintained some kind of control.

"Subdue her, Claire," he ordered. "Use _any_ means necessary."

The leather-clad redhead turned to face her friend. Alice was more than that; Alice had saved her in the desert and beneath it, she'd kept her from loneliness. As much as the other woman meant to her, it didn't alter the fact that she strode forward and came at Alice with a vicious right hook.

Alice ducked and spun behind Claire to avoid the attack. "You don't have to listen to him," she implored the redhead. She hoped that trying to reason with the other woman would have some effect, because there was no way she'd raise a hand to Claire beyond self-defense. "Fight it, Claire."

If she could have, Claire's expression would've shown anguish and frustration. Didn't Alice know she was trying to fight it? Of course she was. She had been struggling against the drug with every breath.

Claire went from upset to angry. How dare Alice imply she wasn't already doing everything she could to disobey. She wouldn't be helpless right this moment if not for Alice. Alice had put her in this position. When Claire's body turned to roundhouse kick Alice, the redhead honestly didn't put in much to stop it.

Again, Alice ducked to avoid the attack, surprised by how quickly the redhead was able to move. She made a swift sidestep to put a little more distance between them. All she had to do was get that scarab off of Claire and this would all be over - after killing Wesker, of course. Fighting him would be much easier because she could actually hit him without guilt.

Alice was still behind the redhead, so Claire took the opportunity to line up a hit with her elbow to the blonde's face. She lashed out with incredible force wincing mentally at thought of the blow connecting.

Though such a quick shift in attacks caught Alice off guard, she managed to catch the redhead's elbow in time to save herself from any real damage being done. More surprising than Claire's heightened speed was the strength behind her attack. That scarab wasn't just controlling her, it was increasing her fighting abilities.

Claire pulled out of Alice's grip in an instant and used the momentum to turn around and swing at her face with a closed fist.

Rather than ducking, Alice brought her own arm up to block the incoming attack. She needed to figure out a way to end this quick, because she didn't want to hurt Claire, but the more they fought the greater risk there was of it.

As the two women duked it out, Jill and Chris focused on the soldiers lining the walls. Jill emptied her gun before pulling out a knife. She always had an extra one on her as well, and handed it off to Chris so he wasn't going into any fights empty-handed. The soldiers lost their lives fairly quickly, and soon blood was making the white floor slick and stained.

Knowing that Alice would duck away from another punch, Claire used the knowledge against her. She brought her left fist around, not expecting an impact. When Alice ducked according to plan, she brought her right knee up with an amazing amount of force. The blow connected with Alice's midsection, knocking the air out of her.

The blonde staggered a moment before finding her footing again. The hit she'd taken threw her off quite a bit. She still managed to use her forearm to block Claire's fist, but wasn't prepared when a punch came around from the other side.

Though it was against her will, now that she'd landed a couple of good blows, Claire knew she was starting to gain the upper hand in the fight. With increased speed and strength, each strike did damage to the other woman. All she had to do was keep chipping away at her.

Wesker saw that even though Claire was making progress – this fight would be a long one. To speed things up he decided to send in his dogs after Alice. A piercing whistle set them loose and they ran straight for Alice. Before the beasts got there, Wesker called for his slave.

"Claire!"

The redhead ignored Alice and turned to face Wesker. He confidently tossed her a syringe.

"We don't have all day. Use it on her," he ordered when she caught the medical device. Claire knew what it was, but in case Alice was interested in her future he began to talk to himself. "If I can't ingest her this way, it will have to be as a human."

The two dogs rushed Alice together - one leapt at her while the other continued the charge. She ducked to avoid the one in the air, swinging her leg around to catch the one still running and knock it to the ground. The attempt was a successful one and she rose quickly, bringing her boot down on its head with enough force to pulverize its skull. She turned as she heard the other dog snarl at her, preparing herself as it readied to charge. There was only a few seconds' hesitation before it dashed forward, teeth bared and ready to tear her apart. Alice had a different plan for the situation though. This time, as it lunged at her, she brought her leg up in a roundhouse - the impact was enough to break the dog's neck and it fell lifelessly to the floor.

Claire held up the glass vial, removed the plastic covering on the needle and stared at the sharp point. Alice's fate was in her hand. At any other time, the blonde probably would've deeply considered becoming human again. Now Claire realized, it would mean Alice's death.

Alice had overheard Wesker's words. What Claire now had in her possession would make her human once more. Given their current situation, she had to avoid that at all costs. She needed her powers more than ever to kill Wesker and insure that she and the others got out of the chamber alive.

The redhead went straight for the injection, trying to connect the tip of the needle with Alice's neck.

Alice grabbed hold of Claire's wrist before the injection could be made. She quickly turned the tables on the other woman, stepping behind the redhead and pinning her arm across her front. At least if Claire was subdued, there was less of a chance of her getting hurt.

Claire realized that she couldn't move the arm Alice had pinned and was thankful. That changed quickly when her other hand reached for the combat knife in sheath on her right thigh. After reaching across her waist, Claire freed the weapon and buried into Alice's left leg. She felt every bit of agony possible for what she had just done.

Alice grunted in pain as the blade sunk into her leg. She immediately let go of Claire, backing off so she could yank the knife back out. That was the last thing she had expected - though the redhead was under Wesker's control, she never would have thought something like being stabbed would happen.

It would seem Claire would do whatever was necessary to follow Wesker's command. She involuntarily took advantage of Alice's vulnerability and kicked the blonde's injured thigh out from beneath her. Why didn't Alice just fight back?

Because of the attack, Alice suddenly found herself on the ground. She hadn't anticipated being taken advantage of - clearly when fighting Claire, she was at a disadvantage. She heard another fight break out in the chamber - Jill and Chris were taking on Wesker. Though she would have preferred to take him on herself, she had more pressing matters to deal with at the moment.

Claire lunged for Alice, poised to once again transmit the serum into her body. Since Chris and Jill had engaged Wesker in a fight, Claire prayed that his death would free her. If nothing else, perhaps they could put her out of her misery like it appeared Alice could not do.

Alice grabbed a hold of the redhead's hand to keep the needle at bay. Claire's enhanced strength actually made the task difficult to achieve. The blonde glanced down to the glowing red device on Claire, knowing that what she needed to free the other woman was well within reach now. However, she was using both hands to keep Claire injecting her with the serum, if she made a move for the scarab, she couldn't be sure she would get it off and keep the needle away as well.

Wesker's slave put in everything she could, everything Claire by herself did not have. She was slowly making progress. Claire watched against her will as the tip of the needle drew closer to Alice.

Claire didn't understand it. Surely Alice had it within her power, and level of skill, to knock Claire out when she had the chance, so why didn't she? Was Alice really so adamant not to hurt her? Would Alice truly… _die_ before she hurt Claire? There was no way to tell the blonde to end it. A simple twist to Claire's wrist would break it; then Alice could finish the job and get to Wesker.

It would be better if Alice just killed her, than let herself be killed. If only Alice could read that in her green eyes. That it was ok; that it was what Claire wanted. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stand to be the reason Alice died – not after being responsible for the convoy – not after realizing… that she loved her.

Alice glanced up to meet Claire's eyes, hoping to see recognition there. She swore she did, she knew that Claire was in there underneath the drugs that forced her to do Wesker's bidding. That merely strengthened her resolve - the only reason she would ever hurt the redhead was if it was to save her, and even then she'd do everything she could to avoid it.

She'd rather sacrifice herself first.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the redhead.

Claire was sorry too. There was nothing she could do to keep from plunging the needle just above Alice's collarbone. The tip was so close – so close that Claire would've given anything to disappear that very moment. She didn't want to watch Alice react to the serum; she didn't want to watch her face Wesker with absolutely no chance of winning. Very soon, it would be all over.

Knowing full well that she could be unsuccessful, Alice freed up one of her hands from holding Claire's. Her attention snapped back down to the scarab as she took hold of it. Though she'd never hurt the redhead, there was no choice in this matter. Freeing her of the scarab was going to cause some amount of pain.

She was suddenly on the losing end of two battles - the one with Claire was being lost faster than she'd like. The needle was drawing far too close for comfort. Her battle with the device on Claire wasn't going well either. It wasn't damaged like Jill's had been, and her attention was split between two places.

Alice could feel the tip of the needle starting to put pressure on her skin. Whether the end result would be her own sacrifice or the freeing of Claire, she made a last ditch effort to pull the scarab from the other woman, putting most of her strength behind the final tug.

It had been a damn dangerous gamble for Alice to go for the scarab, but it was a bet that paid off. The syringe fell from Claire's fingers as the scarab on her chest was pulled loose. Each leg of the device left bleeding puncture holes in her skin as their individual needles were removed.

A moment later, the force that was keeping Claire above Alice was gone. The redhead collapsed and fell consciousness first into a state of complete shock. Words are a little jumbled here

Alice felt an enormous wave of relief as the redhead collapsed. She shifted a bit and gently moved Claire so that she was lying on the floor as she got herself up. "Everything's going to be okay," she promised the other woman.

Her attention then turned to the fight between Chris and Jill, and Wesker. The two were barely holding their own, and it couldn't last much longer. Jill looked to be favoring a leg as blood dripped from the fingers of her right hand, and Chris's face was busted up so badly that Alice hardly recognized him. The blonde was ready to even up the odds. She glanced to the ground and saw the knife that had been embedded in her leg moments ago. After picking it up, she strode toward the continuing fight with purpose.

Wesker was easily dealing with Chris and Jill. His enhanced speed and strength meant they couldn't get the upper hand in the fight, but the two were proving to be most annoying at the moment. His attention had to remain split between them, because as soon as one was down or backed off, the other took their place. He didn't realize Alice had decommissioned his slave until an extra hand grabbed his forearm, forcing him to stop short in a punch that would have hit Chris square in the face – again.

Alice didn't hesitate after stopping Wesker's attack. She landed two harsh blows to his right side before kicking the side of his knee, making it crack with a sickening sound and driving him down to his other knee. Unlike the Chairman, she didn't take the time to torment her prey before killing it. Instead, she used the knife to slice clean through his neck.

Wesker's body was momentarily frozen - as if it was in shock. With a little incentive from Alice's booted foot, it tipped forward and hit the floor with a dull thud, his head rolling away from the rest of his body.

Claire's eyes opened a few seconds later, and she tried to sit up. The redhead was groggy and unfocused, but her sight still managed to settle on Alice. She backed herself away from the blonde, unaware that she was doing it of her own free will and unaware that Wesker was dead. She didn't want to hurt Alice anymore.

Alice glanced over when she heard movement from the redhead's direction. She took a few cautious steps toward the other woman when she began to move away. "Claire, it's alright," she assured. "Wesker's dead now, you're safe."

Claire finally took a second to get her bearings. Alice, Chris, and Jill were standing in front of her, while the bodies of Umbrella soldiers lined the hall, the rotting corpses of Wesker's dogs were only a few feet away from her, and Wesker's lifeless – and extremely headless – form was spilling blood onto Chris's boots.

Perhaps more important than all of those things… was that Claire was free.

Alice took a few steps closer to the redhead and offered her hand. "Here, let me help you up," she said.

Claire's hand shook as she held it out to Alice. It was almost misleading to think she was acting of her own power because she wanted it to be true so badly.

Alice took the other woman's hand and helped her up. Without a second thought, she pulled Claire into her arms. That had been far too close a call - if anything had gone wrong they could have lost each other.

Claire's heart fluttered. She'd really only been this close to Alice a handful of times, but not for lack of wanting it. The redhead didn't know if she should say something. What was to say? If there was ever a time to make a confession – this was it. Emerald eyes could only stare into crystal blue.

The blonde reached up, placing a gentle hand on Claire's cheek. "Are you okay?" she questioned.

"I'm fine," Claire breathed out in a rush. She didn't quite know if that was true. If she was being honest, she probably couldn't even stand on her own at the moment. It was then that Claire recalled what she'd done to Alice, specifically the knife wound. "Fuck! Alice, I stabbed you! I'm so sorry," she admitted in panic.

"It's alright," Alice assured the redhead. She knew the other woman had only done it because she was under Wesker's influence - she'd had no control over her actions. "You weren't yourself."

"That's a bit of understatement," Claire quipped. She was relieved to hear Alice say she was well, but it didn't diminish her guilt. She'd almost been instrumental in killing the woman she lov- …the woman she cared deeply for.

"It's okay," Alice reassured the other woman once more. She realized how close they had come to losing each other for good, how close they'd come to her not being able to tell the redhead something of the utmost importance. "Claire..." She hesitated a second before continuing, "I love you."

Claire's eyebrows furrowed. It was certainly the last thing she expected to hear from Alice, but the first thing in her mind during such a moment. For once, she wanted to repeat the sentiment, but she couldn't do it straight up like Alice. She wanted to kiss her first.

It wasn't comfort that drove her, or lust. For the first time, Claire kissed someone for the fact that her welling emotion would let her do no less. She wrapped one hand in Alice's hair, keeping the other placed firmly on the woman's bicep before pulling her close enough to press their lips together.

Alice held the redhead ever closer to herself. She didn't care that Jill and Chris were right there - they hardly mattered at the moment. What mattered was the woman in her arms.

Claire parted from Alice first, breaking away only enough to whisper, "I love you too." The woman was surprised by how much she meant it. And completely unsurprised and horribly annoyed when her brother interrupted them.

Chris cleared his throat with vigor. Claire had _not_ disclosed this very important detail when discussing her relationship with Alice. He had to admit, things made more sense if they were in love. Why else would Alice go through all the trouble?

The redhead withdrew herself from Alice enough to shoot her brother a glare while letting Alice help her stay upright. Their kiss had done nothing for Claire's weak knees.

With the interruption, Alice was back to business. "We should toss Wesker's body overboard," she said. If he'd been infected, she wanted to make sure there was absolutely no way for him to come back.

"It may not be that easy," Jill pointed out. "There are other soldiers on this ship. We're going to have to… persuade them to change their loyalties."

"How do you suggest we do that?" Claire asked.

"Let them see Wesker's body. Then_ I'll_ give them a choice," Jill answered. "Anyone who wants to stay with Umbrella – can join that bastard at the bottom of the ocean."

"I'd sooner send them all to the bottom of the ocean with him," Alice told Jill. She didn't like the idea of offering the soldiers to join them - not at all. They'd made their decision to stay with Umbrella, give Wesker their loyalty, long ago. Why give them the chance to change their minds now?

Claire saw the opportunity, where Alice did not. "Alice," she beseeched, "we could use the numbers and the ships too. Think about it. There has to be others out there. We could find them. Help them…" The redhead's gaze fell. She hadn't been able to keep her convoy alive. Why did she deserve a second chance?

"Alright," the blonde relented fairly easily with the other woman's coaxing. Claire had a point, too. They could use the help; they could use the ships and whatever supplies were on them too. She still didn't want to trust anyone that was involved with Umbrella, but she could see the redhead's reasoning.

Smiling at Alice, Claire realized that this time she wouldn't be alone in her responsibility. She was certain that Jill's knowledge and experience would prove invaluable, she had her brother's support, and of course, she had Alice.

Claire thought back, to how this all began. She'd lost her entire world – more than once. Fate had given her this chance to do good. In a kind of twisted way, Alice had given her this chance.

In time, Claire would come to understand just how different she was from the woman who rescued her in the dessert. She tended to be more authoritative, more outspoken, more practical… While Alice was overprotective, self-sacrificing, and preferred very little company.

_Three months later…_

Claire had taken to being one of the last to settle in at night with common ease. Her routine didn't change, bar catastrophes on the _Arcadia_ or with the discovery of more survivors.

She was on her way to the cabin she shared with Alice; the blonde in question, already inside. Claire entered to see the woman meticulously cleaning her favorite gun. It was so like Alice, to be found alone, sitting in silence, when there was so much activity going on above her head.

"You know what the difference between us is?" Claire asked, after reflecting on the fact that she herself thrived in the chaos of others.

"I would never stab you?" Alice said sarcastically, quirking a brow and smirking.

"That was one time, Alice!" Claire's head fell into her hand, defeated, before lifting it back again to finish yelling, "One time!"

Alice offered the other woman a fond smile. She put away her weapon and cleaning supplies so that she and Claire could turn in for the night together – as they always did.

At the start of the outbreak, Alice never would have predicted this to be her future. The pain, grief, guilt, and hardship were easily foretold. What she never could have guessed was that amongst all the misery, she'd find happiness.

With such a bleak outlook on the world, she had managed to find someone she'd die for – and what was more, she found a reason to really live again.

* * *

**We hope you liked our story. We enjoyed it… so much that… we are writing a sequel. Now, don't let all the excitement of a sequel overshadow what you want to say about this story. The sequel will happen. However, it will be found on Andrella07's page this time. Keep an eye out. **

**So! Please review this final chapter for our sakes. It would please us very much. Thanks for all the love. **


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